Why don't we tire of music?


So, there’s a lot of smart folk’s on this site, and I’ve been wondering why people never grow tired of listening to music. For example, we don’t read the same book over and over, nor do we watch the same TV show or movie over and over.  But, we never get tired of listening to the same music.  Why is this?  What is it in our mentally that allows this to happen?  Just curious...  Thanks!

 

quincy

Good post.  Bliss's 2nd paragraph hits home with me.

Music allows you to commit it to memory and just enjoy how you feel because of it. This is precisely why many people call it a drug, because the experience a particular song or composition can deliver can be consistent and emotionally resonating, even euphoric, similar to alcohol or other substances.

Music takes me to a place I can't otherwise visit.  

I played in an orchestra for a number of years before, in and after college. What finally stopped me was Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which took a few times of reiterating the same spot in the score until the violins got it right. Something snapped. I can no longer listen to anything Gershwin. It made me quit the orchestra because we had Gershwin on the program in the past and there was no way I could be assured that such would not happen again.

The ability to entertain, bring back memories, modify or improve our mood. Not much different than a good drink...

I do know some in the music industry that want nothing to do with music on their free time though.

 

The more something captures your interest the more time you want to spend with it. It can happen with any form of art, but music is a form that offers many details and always something new or different to soak in with each listen.  

TV shows and books depend on stimulating us through both logical and emotional pathways. Once we know how a book or show ends, and why, the logical pathway is "satisfied" and cannot be stimulated again in the same way.

Music hits us very hard on primarily emotional pathways. It also leaves the "imagery" component totally up to us for interpretation and re-imagination later on. Over time, our re-interpretations will play off memories made when first hearing an album. Much like a good drug (but without the downsides), this yields incredible playback value! Of course, there are limits :) I think I got 99.9% of all the Led Zeppelin I ever wanted to hear between ages 14 and 15. Thank god because I wouldn't want to have lost my virginity to that shit 😂