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Summary: A global study reveals that our most emotionally resonant music tends to come from our teenage years, generally peaking around age 17. This “reminiscence hit” marks the period in which our developing brains most strongly imprint musical memories that help form identity.
The research also found gender differences: Men’s musical memories peaked earlier, while women’s were formed later and evolved more flexibly over time. Surprisingly, younger generations are now forming deep emotional bonds with songs from decades before they were born, creating an intergenerational “cascade of reminiscence.”
Key facts:
Peak musical memory: Emotional attachment to music peaks around age 17, reflecting adolescence as a key time for identity formation. Gender differences: Men’s strongest musical memories occur earlier (around age 16), while women’s peak later (after age 19) and evolve throughout life. Intergenerational effect: Younger listeners often bond with music from approximately 25 years before their birth, showing cultural continuity.
Source: University of Jyväskylä
A new global study led by the University of Jyväskylä reveals that our most emotionally resonant music tends to come from our teenage years, peaking around age 17. This pronounced pattern, known as the “reminiscence bump,” reflects our tendency to form the strongest emotional bonds with music since our adolescence.
This “beat” helps explain why teenage songs often continue to have deep meaning even decades later. However, the pattern is not fixed: its intensity changes throughout life and reveals different tendencies for men and women.
The study led by researchers from the Center of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain (University of Jyväskylä, Finland) obtained responses from almost 2,000 participants from 84 countries. Participants were asked to identify a piece of music that had deep personal meaning to them.
Music shapes identity
According to Dr. Iballa Burunat, lead author of the study, the memory increase from music exists because it reaches a neurological and biographical optimal point.
“Think of the teenage brain as a sponge, overloaded with curiosity and longing for reward, but without a fully developed filter. And it’s because it’s still maturing that our strong emotional experiences, like the songs we love, are absorbed more deeply and vividly, and leave a lasting impression; so the persistence of this reminiscence effect simply shows how fundamental music is in the formation of identity.”
A surprising gender division in musical memory
The study found that in men, memory growth peaked earlier, around age 16, while in women the peak came later, after age 19.
“As we do not have complete qualitative data on the participants, we can only speculate based on previous work on psychology and gender differences,” says Burunat.
Research in psychology suggests that men tend to consolidate their musical identity earlier through the attachments and independence of adolescence. Women’s musical identity, by contrast, develops over a longer period, shaped by emotional connections and relationship milestones into early adulthood, a pattern that society often reinforces for women. This could explain why women’s strongest musical memories peak a little later.
“Music develops in time. Its rhythm, melody and structure provide a kind of sequential framework, a timeline,” says Dr. Iballa Burunat.
Musical genres matter too
Another key factor may be the musical genres themselves. Men often gravitate toward intense, rebellious genres that fuel adolescent identity and independence, a phase that peaks early.
Women, however, tend to engage with a broader spectrum of music, from pop to soul to classical, often also using it as a tool to strengthen social bonds. These broader purposes extend well beyond adolescence and are often linked to vivid memories of specific social moments and relationships and may therefore contribute to a later peak in musical memory.
Music evolves with us throughout life.
The study also shows that our connection to music continues to evolve throughout life, and differently for men and women.
“Our data clearly show that for men, music from adolescence becomes a lasting anchor for personal meaning, a finding that could be explained by society’s focus on youth and rebellion in shaping masculine identity,” explains Dr. Burunat.
“Conversely, for women, the connection to music tends to change over time, particularly from their mid-40s onwards, as they commonly use music as a flexible tool for emotional expression and social bonding throughout their lives.
“This may explain why your most meaningful musical connections often shift toward recent songs tied to current relationships, personal growth, or new experiences, which sometimes even carry more emotional weight than the music of your youth.”
But there’s a twist that challenges generational boundaries: Younger listeners, both men and women, often form deep connections with music released decades before they were born, usually about 25 years earlier.
Researchers call this phenomenon the “cascading reminiscence stroke” and believe it reflects a strong intergenerational influence, likely shaped by music introduced by parents, family, or enduring cultural icons from earlier eras.
“Music is much more than just entertainment.”
From your dad’s favorite classic rock song, to the ’90s hip-hop that defined your youth, to the recent pop song that got you through a tough time, music remains one of the most powerful tools we have to connect with our past.
“I think it helps to think of music as a scent: it bypasses the language centers of our brain and brings a past moment to life in an immediate, non-verbal way,” Burunat explains.
“But unlike a smell, music develops over time. Its rhythm, melody and structure provide a kind of sequential framework, a timeline. And it is this extraordinary combination that allows music to act as a time machine and a storyteller, helping us remember not just a feeling but the entire context of an event.”
“What our findings make clear is that music is much more than just entertainment,” Burunat concludes. Without a doubt, music is an archive of our most significant memories and ultimately a foundation for our sense of identity because it tells the story of who we are, who we were, and how we have grown.
Key questions answered:
A: Because the adolescent brain is very plastic and loaded with emotions, which makes musical experiences deeply rooted and long-lasting.
A: Men tend to anchor their musical identity earlier through rebellion and independence, while women’s memories are formed later through emotional and social bonds.
A: Yes, many young listeners form strong emotional bonds with early music through family and cultural influence, a trend called “cascade reminiscence hit.”
About this research news about music and memory.
Author: Reetta Kalliola
Source: University of Jyväskylä
Contact: Reetta Kalliola – University of Jyväskylä
Image: Image is credited to Neuroscience News.
Original research: Open access.
“Memory jumps across life in music with personal meaning” by Iballa Burunat et al. Memory
Abstract
Memory skips across life with personally meaningful music
Some songs stay with us for a lifetime. Even decades later, a few family notes can unlock vivid memories. However, the life periods from which these songs originate and their prominence by age and gender remain unexplored.
This study examines lifetime patterns in music-related memory, focusing on age trends, gender differences, and the overall presence of the “reminiscence bump,” a peak in emotional connection to music from adolescence and early adulthood.
While this phenomenon is well documented in Western samples, its global manifestation, its gender dimensions, and its variation across life stages remain unexplored.
Using responses collected from 1,891 participants from diverse geographic backgrounds, we analyzed the release years of personally meaningful songs.
The results showed an inverted U-shaped distribution peaking at age 17, with males peaking earlier with a stable memory increase towards older age, while females showed a later peak and a stronger reminiscence effect with age.
This gender asymmetry, pronounced in older cohorts, highlights how age and gender shape the emotional salience of music.
The findings reveal that musical memory is determined by multiple temporal obstacles (cascading (transgenerational), reminiscence (adolescence), and recency), each influenced by age and gender, offering new insights into how music acquires emotional meaning across the lifespan.
