A melody through life: How human minds wander

Abstract

Recollection or remembering events while listening to music is mediated not only by the personal relevance of that music, but also by different aspects, such as concentration on the music, influences of the environment, and the momentary state of the human mind. To further clarify this phenomenon, my paper addresses the question: “How does personally relevant music induce certain individual memories, and what other factors are of importance?” By means of an interview, followed by an analysis of that interview, it may be demonstrated that the process of remembering cannot take place under certain circumstances, e.g., in the presence of inhibiting stressors. If there is no concentration and the listener is otherwise preoccupied, true remembrance will be inhibited. It is also possible that the situation in which a trigger is present does not allow for the recollection of autobiographical events. However, this inhibiting process is also necessary, since a lack of inhibition would result in constant remembering, and human minds would not be able to wander at all. It was also shown that the experience of music becomes a cultural experience, and that there is an association of music with extramusical events. For further investigations, research should focus on the situatedness of the recollection, since the recollection changes depending on the present situation in which the music is heard.