Music and the brain
Why a song can change your day
A song can bring back a vacation or make you want to dance after a long day. Why does that happen?
You probably know the feeling: a song you have not heard in years comes on, and you think of someone. Maybe a friend you used to sing it with, or a road trip. You might even remember the words, although you thought you had forgotten them.
Other times, there is no memory attached. You simply like what you hear and turn it up a little. What is it about that song that makes you want to hear it again and again? Research on music and the brain offers a few clues.
Why does a song remind you of someone?
If you played a song a lot on vacation, you might start associating it with those days. Hearing it later brings back the beach, the journey, or the people you were with. The song and the experience have become linked in your memory.
Researcher Petr Janata studied what happened when people listened to familiar songs. Some brought back memories from their lives. As this happened, he observed activity in brain regions involved in those memories. The study helps explain why a song can take us back to something that happened years ago.[1]
Why do you want to play it again?
You have a favorite part, and you are waiting for it. It might be the chorus or the moment the drums come in. You know what is coming, but you enjoy it just as much. When it ends, you play it again.
Dopamine, a chemical brain cells use to communicate, plays a part in that desire to listen again. A 2019 study involving researchers from the University of Barcelona found that changing its activity affected how much participants enjoyed music and wanted to hear it. This helps explain the pleasure of listening to a song, though it does not mean any song will make us happy.[2]
What if your friend does not like it?
You share a song you love with a friend, and the response is “not bad.” That can be a little disappointing, but different tastes are normal. Your friend has had different experiences and may notice different things when listening.
Some people, in fact, get little or no pleasure from music. Their hearing is fine and they enjoy other things, but a song does not do much for them. A research review shared by UBneuro explains these differences. That is a good reason to be skeptical of playlists promising to make everyone happy.[3]
You do not always want the same music
For a run, you might choose something with a strong beat. When reading, you may prefer calm music or no music at all. Even a song you love can feel irritating when you are tired.
At Moodswave, we group songs into four Waves to make it easier to find something you feel like hearing: Quiet, Soft, Good, and Move. They bring together music for different moments. Start with one and switch whenever you like.
Try it
Not sure what to play? Start here.
Choose something for what you are about to do, or try a change from your usual music.
Think about your plans.
Are you about to read, cook, or go for a walk? That can give you a starting point.
Put on a song.
Try something calm if you want to rest, or something with more rhythm if you feel like moving.
Enjoying it? Keep listening.
If it is not what you feel like, change it. You do not have to finish a playlist just because you started it.
Find music for your plans
These are the four Moodswave Waves.
Sources and further reading 3 references
These are the studies and resources we consulted. Their findings do not guarantee that music will have the same effect on you.
- The neural architecture of music-evoked autobiographical memories
Petr Janata · Cerebral Cortex · 2009
- Dopamine modulates the rewarding experience of music
Universitat de Barcelona · Study published in PNAS · 2019
- Understanding why music is not rewarding for everyone
UBneuro · Review in Trends in Cognitive Sciences · 2026
