Music & Memory

I’m riding the bus home from work. It’s October and it’s raining, the light of day is beginning to yield to the shadows of evening. I have wrestled with the daily internal debate about whether to indulge in the pages of a novel or just stare out the window. The latter seemed more interesting. My iPhone headphones are plugged in and I’m shuffling through the device’s music library, skipping those songs that don’t immediately appeal. 

Suddenly, on comes Matt Nathanson’s “Car Crash” and I am immediately transported through hyperspace back to 2009. I’m driving my beige 1996 Honda Accord through some back roads from Manchester, New Hampshire up to Concord. I can feel the emotions that I wrestled with when this song first played on my eardrums. The slight innocence and excitement that accompanied being a senior in college and the twang of heart break that still lingered at that time, suddenly felt present.

I’m sure you’ve had a similar experience, one where hearing a certain song literally transports your mind to another time. What is it about music or our sense of hearing that recreates memories and emotions so vividly? I’ve unintentionally recalled details about my past that I would never have remembered had it not been for the help of a song (not that they had been repressed for some terrible reason, just forgotten). This may not be a singular experience either, for me there are several songs that always reinstate a certain memory. Others recall a powerful emotion that I once felt when listening to the song or even because of the song.

There are surprisingly not many studies done on this particular phenomenon. Scientists do, however, recognize the connection between music, memory and emotion. Most of the research focuses on the connection between music and memory recall while studying or the effect of music on the recollection of those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Fascinating stuff if you have a chance to Google it, check it out.

There was one particular study I found by Petr Janata, Stefan T. Tomic, and Sonja K. Rakowski in the journal Memory (Vol. 15, Iss. 8, 2007). The article focused on autobiographical memory recall, the researchers using certain popular songs from past years to test subjects. The respondents reported that about 30% of the music they heard recalled autobiographical memories as well as strong emotions such as nostalgia (unfortunately the article was not free and I am cheap, so I couldn't read all the results). This is an awesome finding, but really just scientific confirmation of what we have already experienced.

There is a definite, scientifically proven connection between music and emotion, but in my humble opinion nostalgia doesn’t cover it. By definition nostalgia is a desire to relive a positive experience from our past. Our personal recall songs take that to another level by putting us back into a past scenario, good or bad, whether we desire to recall that memory or not. Emotions can be powerful, and when they are, our brains store the feeling for later use. When we hear a song that is somehow connected to said powerful emotion, that feeling or memory is suddenly brought to the forefront of our mind.  

Every time I hear Savage Garden’s “I Knew I Loved You” it still invokes the feeling of young infatuation felt during an 8th grade slow dance (I swear when I hear this now it’s not a planned listening). How awesome is that? More than a decade later I can still recall how I felt on that converted cafeteria dance floor. 

Maybe I can figure out how to harness that recall power, crank it up to 88 mph and make Doc Brown proud. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. 

Tech Zombies

I made mention, in the introduction above, to the screen lit faces of the average American. Here’s my theory. The expansion of technology is an amazing display of human capability and creativity. Never before have we had such resources at out fingertips on an everyday basis. Smartphones and tablets allow us to do some amazing things, navigate a new city, find the best local restaurants, or even design a blog. This sounds like an iPhone ad, but it really is true. For all of technologies advancements, however, it ends up holding us back. 

Have you seen the videos lately of someone texting while walking (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl0JojWH1rQ)? It usually ends in the texter slamming into a door or a pole or even falling into a manhole. First of all, why would you walk anywhere without looking where you’re going? You’re just asking for a nut shot from a fire hydrant. According to an abcNews story, over 1,000 people were admitted to the ER in 2008 with injuries suffered as a result of walking while using their phone. My point, however, isn’t how dangerous it is to distract ourselves while in transit. What astounds me is the level of dependence we have on these little computers. Some people can’t look away long enough to avoid a low hanging tree branch, and while the rest of us are certainly enjoying the cartoon humor, it is a sad reality. 

Before I delve further into my argument, I would like to assure you that I am far from innocent as far as smart phone addictions go. I have fantasy sports apps, blackjack, even twitter (follow me @bennny_bos) on my iPhone and am sometimes quite distracted by technology, ask my girlfriend. I’m not suggesting you climb to the roof of the nearest building and ceremoniously fling your devices over the edge singing “Video Killed the Radio Star.” What I am proposing is a tech hiatus every once in a while.

It requires great intelligence and creativity to imagine, design and construct the devices we spend our hard earned money on. However, if you aren’t involved in the creation of tech devices, they are most likely sucking the imagination from your skull (think the scene at the end of Aladdin when Jafar is vacuumed into the genie’s lamp like a big red dust bunny). You cease to exist as a human entity when you have shut out your environment to stare at that screen. It’s no longer just “vegging out,” as we all like to do in front of the TV, because the device comes with you at all times and you are literally plugged into it so that you can’t hear what’s going on around you. You have entered into a lesser realm of existence. You’re a tech zombie. 

Creativity is sparked by your surroundings, through observation and unique patterns of thought. Having your own ideas and experiences is paramount to breaking the spell of technological dependence. What I suggest (and try to practice myself) are a few simple guidelines:

       Don’t whip out the device just because you’re bored; try reading a book or magazine instead. There is something honest and pure about holding an actual work of literature (just think great men and women like Abraham Lincoln and Marie Curie once read books).

       If you’re listening to music, have it at a level that allows you to still be aware of your surroundings and (gulp) possible human interaction.

       Every once in a while go for a walk…and leave your smart phone behind. Crazy notion, I know, but you’ll quickly discover how freeing this can be.

       Lastly, if you’re on a date or spending time with friends and family just leave the phone in your pocket or even tuck it away in a drawer so you can’t see it. 

I read an article in Men’s Health that even stated electronic stimulation can stunt your sleeping patterns. They suggested turning your devices off for a little while before you turn in. So, shut the computer screen, lock the iPhone, turn off the TV, and dust off your collection of Harry Potter books (probably brush your teeth too). Being a zombie isn’t cool, no matter what Kristen Stewart tells you.

Small Talk

“Oh man, it’s almost Friday.” “Beautiful day out there, isn’t it?” Am I the only one who can’t stand small talk? I cringe every time I hear someone say, “only a few hours ‘til the end of the day!” Yet I say crap like that all the time. I fancy myself a bit of a writer, a creative mind (at least a mind with occasional creativity). Even so, I somehow can’t come up with anything better to say than a phrase that has probably already been uttered 500 times that day alone.

This is one of my most heavily petted peeves. Obviously, I’m aware that small talk developed out of the polite obligation not to tell people we don’t actually want to converse with to buzz off. I am also aware that I slightly resemble an uppity complainer with this rant, but bear with me.   

What if literature and movies bought into the practice of small talk? Romeo would have scaled the balcony of his love Juliet and then said something like, “Hey, how’s it going? Nice night, isn’t it?” Han Solo and Luke Skywalker would have awkwardly chit chatted about the inconvenience of space junk while they were cruising through hyperspace. I shudder at the thought.    

I wonder if there’s small talk in the West Wing. Does the Secretary of Defense ask President Obama if he has anything exciting planned for the weekend? What about the water cooler at the CIA? Do really smart and intellectual folks spend their whole week chatting about how close they are to the weekend? I hope there is some remote part of the country where people reject this mind-numbing routine and actually carry on substantial conversations.

I challenge myself and you to participate in zero small talk today. None. If someone says, “any plans for the weekend,” respond with a detailed itinerary. If someone says, “What’s going on?” Answer with exactly what you have going on at that moment, “I’m on my way to take a leak and then probably read fantasy football articles for an hour.” You know what Barney Stinson would say to a challenge. Accept it.

Feel free to leave some classic small talk in the comments.