Music is a powerful tool to access information about ourselves. Two recent studies are offering new insight into how our favorite tunes are linked to memories and our personalities — and how those connections can make lives better.
Hearing a favorite, familiar or “throwback” song can instantly transport you to another moment of your life, bringing back details in startling clarity. And it’s not just a fanciful feeling — there’s science behind how our minds connect music with memory.
There has long been a beneficial association between music and patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Repeatedly listening to music that is personally meaningful has been found to improve the brain’s adaptability in patients with early Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment.
Listening to music with a special meaning stimulated neural pathways in the brain that helped them maintain higher levels of functioning, according to Michael Thaut, who was senior author of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto. It was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in November.
