Music and the nostalgia of our youth
“Why do we all (not just the Woodstock generation) seem to insist that the music of our youth was better? Because everyone has this experience, it cannot be objectively true. One study found that in the same way that we tend to remember positive life events more strongly than negative events, only the ‘good’ music of our past tends to survive in our memories. In the raw and unpolished present meanwhile, we hear music we think we like and music we know we don’t like. Memory is a radio station that only plays what we want to hear.”
You May Also Like by Tom Vanderbilt
Read the review: You May Also Like by Tom Vanderbilt
Ever wondered why you like some things and dislike others? The answers may surprise you. ‘You May Also Like’ is a bubbly, effervescent, fun, erudite and informative book that I managed to breeze through in only one evening. It was so incredible that I bookmarked almost every second or third page. It’s just one of those books. Each page gives you an AHA moment of recognition (as Oprah would say). It turns out that our unique pastimes, preferences and peccadilloes are not as specific to you as an individual as you may have thought!
Content Catnip 