Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories are Associated with Negative Affect in Younger and Older Adults.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Music evokes strong and persistent emotional responses. However, the mechanisms underlying the emotional effects of music, particularly in older adults, are largely unknown. One purported mechanism by which music evokes emotions is through memory - that is, music evokes personal, autobiographical memories that then lead to emotional responses.

Method

Here, we investigated whether memory-evoking music induces stronger and longer-lasting emotional responses than non-memory-evoking music, and whether these emotional responses differ between younger and older adults. Older (N = 30) and younger adults (N =30) listened to two blocks of self-selected music (one block of memory-evoking music and one block of familiar but non-memory-evoking music). Participants reported th

SUBMITTER: Mehl K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11245592 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan-Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature