I read an interesting article this week on the psychology of why we love songs from when we were teenagers more than current music. According to the article:
Brain imaging studies show that our favorite songs stimulate the brain’s pleasure circuit, which releases an influx of dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and other neurochemicals that make us feel good. The more we like a song, the more we get treated to neurochemical bliss, flooding our brains with some of the same neurotransmitters that cocaine chases after.
The article goes on about why this is particularly true when you are between the ages of 12-22 years because the “pleasure circuits” are more like fireworks than sparks. Of course it got me thinking about songs that have specific memories for me. Unsurprisingly many of these are from when I was 12-22 years old and also unsurprisingly, according to the article, many of my memories are attached to dancing to that particular song. Some are recent and I wonder if they will remain in my memory the same way the songs from when I was younger have.
So, without further ado and with little explanation, here are the songs that came to mind when I was reading the article. I’d love to hear yours in the comments!
First boyfriend
First kiss
Maseru dance parties
Playing volleyball on the courts in front of my dorm in university
College debate team
and the entire 1200 Curfew album by the Indigo Girls
Attending church dances with my first boyfriend, before I was old enough to officially date
High school trip to Washington, DC
High school in general
