Study: Musical preferences become more specific and less diverse with age

Our musical tastes change as we age

 

A new study explains why our musical tastes change with age

A new international study has revealed that not only do our musical tastes become more specific with age, but the number of songs we categorize as favorites also declines with age.

According to the study, published in the Association for Computing Machinery, which analyzed the music listening habits of more than 40,000 people over 15 years, the tendency to explore new genres of music gradually declines with age. This change appears to be clearly reflected in favorite song lists. "Most people who reach the age of 65 are not embarking on a journey of new musical discovery," says Alan Said, a professor of computer science at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and co-author of the study.

According to the study, listeners in adolescence and early adulthood tend to explore a wide range of artists and musical styles, and often share their favorite songs with their peers. But with age, the circle of musical interests narrows, and playlists gradually lose their importance in favor of more individual choices, drawn from personal experiences and nostalgia.

Saeed says, "When you're young, you want to try everything, but by the time you reach adulthood, you usually find a musical style that suits you. Playlists lose their importance." The researchers noted that nostalgia plays a pivotal role here, especially in middle age, when listeners tend to repeatedly return to the music they loved during their youth, which they consider their "music of life."

The study was based on data from a music streaming service, which included more than 542 million plays of more than a million songs. Saeed believes the study's findings are also important for streaming services, cautioning that providing uniform music recommendations for all users could overlook nuances across age groups.

Saeed explained that each group has different needs, with younger listeners looking for a mix of hits and old discoveries, while middle-aged listeners prefer a balance between new and familiar, and older audiences preferring musical suggestions that cater to their nostalgic preferences.