I started this post with the intention to describe how my taste in music has evolved since dating a musician. But then I realised that I do something quite odd when it comes to music. The thing is, I rarely listen to the music I enjoy during uni semesters (two thirds of the year), instead I listen to rain sounds. Constantly. It's like a small cloud just follows me everywhere I go (even when it is actually raining outside)
This may seem odd, but there is a good reason for it, and some very positive outcomes as well. Firstly, I can find it hard to both concentrate on study when I need to, and also to switch off from study when I need to go to bed. Over the course of maybe one semester, I have Pavlov conditioned myself into switching on study mode when I listen to the rain. It also means that when I turn the rain off, I can relax a bit easier. It's like magic, and I discovered this on accident!
You see, the reason I started listening to rain whilst I studied was because I got music-evoked nostalgia. Most people would recognize this a wonderful experience, where certain songs evoke a memory from childhood or something along those lines. However, mine was not so pleasant: I would listen to the songs I enjoyed during uni, but then when I listened to them during the holidays I would feel like I should be studying. Enter: the rain music. Problem solved.
This music-evoked nostalgia can actually be a pretty powerful and interesting tool, and there is some fun research being done. This natural phenomena can be used to your advantage, and not just a way to escape into memories. I love it, as I always try to self improve and this is just so simple!
*Photos are a small tour of some of the musical entities around our home.
You see, the reason I started listening to rain whilst I studied was because I got music-evoked nostalgia. Most people would recognize this a wonderful experience, where certain songs evoke a memory from childhood or something along those lines. However, mine was not so pleasant: I would listen to the songs I enjoyed during uni, but then when I listened to them during the holidays I would feel like I should be studying. Enter: the rain music. Problem solved.
This music-evoked nostalgia can actually be a pretty powerful and interesting tool, and there is some fun research being done. This natural phenomena can be used to your advantage, and not just a way to escape into memories. I love it, as I always try to self improve and this is just so simple!