The Science of Memory and Music
Abby Balson
The Science of the Forgotten: Hybrid Vigor 2022-2023 Edition
Is there a specific song that transports you to relive the highs and lows of middle school? A holiday carol that invokes the clear image of a bonfire surrounded by loved ones? Does hearing “Party in the USA” bring you back to the formalities of a memorable high school prom? Music functions as a powerful scientific and social tool to connect people and societies to forgotten memories. Whether through a seasoned concertmaster, movie score aficionado, die-hard Taylor Swift fan, or something in between, the thread of music weaves together an ever-forgotten past with an ever-polarizing future to create a quilted melody of relentless remembrance in the present.
So I put my hands up, they’re playin’ my song, the butterflies fly away - beloved song lyrics from “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus that are backed up by neuroscience. In the song, Miley has just moved to star-studded Hollywood from her home in Nashville with big dreams. Upon arriving, however, the realization hit that she didn’t quite fit in and doubts about her dreams started to creep in. So, what was happening in Miley’s brain when the song started playing? Perhaps she experienced the nerves settling down due to her implicit memory serving her through classical conditioning (Heshmat 2021). The role of implicit memory is to unconsciously acquire and implement learned behaviors such as how to utilize utensils or ride a bicycle. Classical conditioning, a part of implicit memory, is a learning process which occurs when one stimulus is linked to another stimulus over and over again and a response is elicited. Eventually, the learned response is able to be triggered by only the first stimulus. In Miley’s case, both the song and dancing with friends are the two original stimuli, while the following reaction is a confidence boost. Due to classical conditioning, even when the song is played in the absence of Tennessee friends, her response remains the same.
Another brain pathway that could have been activated that night was her episodic musical memory - defined as the ability to identify an excerpt of music and the “spatiotemporal context surrounding its former encounter” (Jäncke 2008). Unlike classical conditioning, which relies on repeated events to trigger a behavior later on, episodic musical memory connects a piece of music heard during an experience to the memory of that time. There could have been a singular courage-inspiring moment linked to the song that reminded Miley of her own self worth and original hope of the big things to come. Suddenly she was back at home, enthusiastically dancing with friends in the welcoming heart of Nashville instead of being surrounded by snooty strangers in stilettos - a forgotten memory retrieved in the midst of anxiety and fear. While the adrenaline was pumping and the toes were tapping, Miley’s episodic musical memory was activated. This is associated with an increased blood flow to the precuneus region of the brain, which is linked to autobiographical memory retrieval (Jäncke 2008). An increased blood flow to the precuneus signifies increased brain activity in recalling past experiences and the emotions attached to them (Utevsky 2014).
And a Britney song was on - the lyrics which precede the subsequent party in the U.S.A. that occurs. Whether classical conditioning or episodic musical memory was the lynchpin in this story, the first step was recognizing that the tune itself was playing. Semantic memory is a human’s ability to access long-term memory to recollect different concepts - for example, the melody of a favorite song. In the context of music, blood flow in the brain increases to the medial and orbitofrontal cortex, the left angular gyrus, and the left anterior portion of the middle temporal cortex - thus instigating us to recognize familiar melodies (Jäncke 2008). Miley’s initial ability to recognize what song was playing, remember the lyrics and how to sing along was based on this phenomena. It really is a party in the U.S.A when episodic and semantic memory work together - and not just for the popstar. The simple act of listening back to older playlists can remind you of a forgotten day, a different season of life, even a cherished relationship or person who is now long-gone. In an increasingly quick-paced and demanding society, taking the time to remember is critical to avoid losing past experiences that shape us.
Next time you put a pair of headphones on or turn up the volume on a car radio, consider listening to that song from middle school - even if you cringe a little. You may be taken aback at how many lyrics you can still sing. You may be surprised by a memory that hits you out of nowhere. Or, you may just find that you can throw your hands up because the butterflies are flying away.
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Jäncke, L. (2008). Music, memory and Emotion. Journal of Biology, 7(6), 21. https://doi.org/10.1186/jbiol82
Heshmat, S. (2021). Why does music evoke memories? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/science-choice/202109/why-does-music-evoke-memories
Cyrus, M. (n.d.). Party in the U.S.A.
Utevsky, A. V., Smith, D. V., & Huettel, S. A. (2014). Precuneus is a functional core of the default-mode network. The Journal of Neuroscience, 34(3), 932–940. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.4227-13.2014
