Why do we tend to listen to a new song that we like over and over again and then we can’t stand hearing it anymore?
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I’m pretty much the target audience for classic rock stations. I know what I like and then Iisten to it forever.
My girlfriend would tell me it’s because I’m a Libra.
You’re probably one of the zodiac signs too, which is why that happens.
I have always found this weird i don’t do it, and never understood why people would ruin music for themselves like that
Why do I wake up with some random song in my head that I haven’t listened to for years?? Followed seconds later by thinking wtf??
I don’t do this, personally. If I find a new song I really enjoy I try to go out of my way to not listen to it so I can really enjoy it when it randomly comes up in one of my playlists
Lol got [this](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YddwkMJG1Jo) stuck in my head this week
Think about it as a mechanism for leaning new things in the world. Like how a baby might spin a wheel or play with some toy in a certain motion repeatedly. Then they get bored of it quickly. The desire to repeat the new action caused them to learn about its motion.
Without even relating it to music specifically, I’d say it just has to do with the way we take in new things. We recognize when something is novel and interesting, and then repeat it so as to better learn its ways through repetition. Then we get bored of it, which causes us to go seek something else. It’s a useful system for things that would’ve helped us survive long ago: understanding how rocks roll off a cliff, how water moves across a surface, how to throw and catch things, etc.
It’s probably something that those of us who are more prone to addiction tend to do. No research (that I know of) to back it up, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true.
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Music perception is a huge field that includes physics, math and psychology / biologists amongst others. One explained it to me like this (Im sure this is a simplification): Music has a tension between repetition and dissonance. Repetition makes the music accessible, catchy and fun. Dissonance makes it thoughtful, interesting and deep. Some music tilts strongly in one direction: repetitive dance music, others in a different direction: like experimental jazz. As you get more and more familiar with a genre, some of the repetition and patterns “unlock” for you and become accessible in a way that they may not be to a novice. If you COMPLETELY process the information it will likely bore you. However if you dont “Get IT” youll likely dismiss the song as inaccessible and offputting. This tension explains both why albums and songs get better with age and why some dont. It also explains in part why some complex music (jazz and classical or even metal and hiphop) have die hard fans while others seem to hate it or just not get it. It turns out some of musical appreciation is actually tied to exposure. The best songs “grow” with you, looping in to patterns you can already access and then “unlocking” different more involved ones as you go. If you add a layer of emotional tie during that process (ahem – first kiss, birth of a child, loss of a loved one) this adds another layer that may or may not actually interact with all of the above. Perception is awesome!
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