How does music affect memory? We’ve probably all experienced the phenomenon where an old song reminds us of a particular moment or time in our lives or even evokes a specific memory. Most people may not give this a second thought but how many times it happens that while listening to certain tones or notes we get lost in the old memories about a person, an event, or a particular period of our lives? Neurological research has shown the medial prefrontal cortex region of the brain is a hub that connects music, emotion, and memories
The medial upper prefrontal cortex “hub” also happens to be one of the last areas of the brain to atrophy from Alzheimer’s. This may explain why people with Alzheimer’s can still recall old songs from their past, and why music can bring about strong responses from people with Alzheimer’s, causing patients to brighten up and even sing along. In fact, a type of therapy called music therapy takes advantage of this very phenomenon. Music Therapy is a type of non-verbal therapy that uses instruments and music to help people work through a range of emotional, cognitive, and social issues. Music Therapy can be a profound tool for healing through using the process of making and listening to music, providing people with a powerful channel for communication and expression.
People who have suffered traumatic brain injuries will often have problems with memory. Music can help bring back some of those special moments of their lives that they have forgotten. People worry a lot today about enhancing their memory trying out different sorts of diets and lifestyles in order to make their memory stronger and last longer, but very few of them actually know that this could be done with a single step of enjoying it all along with some precious tunes and their own favorite songs!Sneha, PhD in Clinical Psychology, Bangalore
A 2014 study examined patients with severe acquired brain injuries. Patients listened to hit songs and answered questions about their memories. The study found that music was more effective than verbal prompts at triggering autobiographical memories and that the music-evoked autobiographical memories were notably well-preserved when compared to non-musical ones.
A study published in 2011 in Neuropsychologia determined that music training is also highly beneficial to working memory or the short-term memory that is responsible for temporarily storing information available for processing. Working memory is important for reasoning and decision-making. The study found that musicians outranked non-musicians on memory tests. Researchers concluded that long-term music training to a higher functioning working memory. Music has also helped many people with dementia remember things from their past. They can connect with people more, and music encouraged them to sing and speak with others
The hippocampus and the frontal cortex are two large areas in the brain associated with memory and they take in a great deal of information every minute. Retrieving it is not always easy. Music helps because it provides a rhythm and rhyme and alliteration which helps to unlock that information with cues. It is the structure of the song that helps us to remember it, as well as the melody and the images the words provoke. The technique remains important today.
Neuroscientists have analyzed the brain mechanisms related to memory, finding that words set to music are the easiest to remember.
Classic hits take us back to our teenage years and our twenties, much more than songs of later years. Psychologists have called it the ‘reminiscence bump’.
It may work this way because this is an especially important and exciting time in our lives, when we are experiencing things for the first time and when we become independent. Everything is new and meaningful. Later, life becomes a bit of a blur. Music evokes emotion, but the sound and feel of it, while important, don’t necessarily define your feelings. A sad song could be associated with a happy time, a happy one with a sad one.