When we listen to music, not only our ears work, but also the parts of the brain responsible for emotions and memory. That’s why some songs evoke strong emotions in us and are remembered well.
A team of scientists conducted a three-day experiment to see whether music played while recalling the story somehow affected the original memory.
On the first day, participants memorized a series of short, emotionally neutral stories. The next day, they recalled these stories while listening to cheerful music, depressive music, or silence. On the final day, volunteers were asked to recall the stories again, this time without music.
The results showed that when participants listened to emotionally charged music while remembering neutral stories, they were more likely to add new emotional elements to those stories later. Moreover, these elements matched the mood of the music. For example, when subjects listened to positive songs in the background, people later had more positive memories, even if they remembered the stories without the music.
They also showed increased activity in the amygdala and hippocampus when participants recalled stories while listening to music. These regions play a critical role in processing emotional memory.
Researchers also found a strong connection between areas associated with emotional memory processing and visual sensory processing. This means that music can add emotional details to memories that a person visually imagines.
Source: Ferra
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