Why do you still listen to the same music you discovered at 17? Let’s ask science!

We all go through a coming-of-age period when it comes to music that runs from about age 13 until you emerge into the real world about 10 years later. During this time, much of our musical taste becomes cemented in our brains for the rest of our lives. We will continually go back to the artists, songs, and albums we listened to back then.

But why? Let’s ask science, specifically psychology.

Science Blog says this: “It’s not that music was better back then — it’s because adolescent brain chemistry creates a biological baseline for emotional intensity that no adult release can ever recreate.

“Your teenage brain hijacked your taste buds, and nothing since has come close to matching that neurochemical high.”

The study goes deeper. The average Boomer believes the best year for music was 1971. Gen X loves 1994. Millennials are still in love with 2007.

More: “Memory scientists call it the musical reminiscence bump, and it’s one of the most replicated curiosities in the field: across a lifetime of listening, the songs that carry the most personal weight cluster overwhelmingly in one narrow window.”

It’s fascinating stuff. Read more here.