What Makes Music Appealing to People

Music and Why People Listen to It

The study on what music people listen to and why is interesting to me because music tells us a lot about ourselves and it also is a powerful tool for development too. Therefore, a study about what particular music people gravitate towards can not only reveal an underlying aspect to that individual's personality but also an underlying aspect of the culture in which that individual is situated. Because music is an art form and art is said to act as a mirror (in that it reflects the world around it), the music with which people identify and the sounds that they prefer can tell researchers a lot about the culture, environment, and personalities of our day and age. This study could be the basis of a comprehensive assessment of a time and place that extends beyond the sample size of the study and delves into a much larger focus.

I would like to be a part of this study because it also interests me to know what music others listen to and why they listen to it. Is it because someone at an early age introduced them to it? Is it because it is what is played on the radio? Is it because they were curious about it and set about developing a taste for it in order to better appreciate it? Is it because others in their peer group listened to it and they wanted to fit in? In short, there can be any number of reasons for why individuals would listen to the music they enjoy, and yet these reasons can say a lot about who we are as people and as individuals. Music can be such an intimate and personal experience, as well, because it operates in the realm of the transcendental: it is capable of producing emotions within one, whether happiness, sadness, joy or anger, and it is also capable of affecting the mind, in terms of having a positive impact on short-term memory, in some cases.

Music is also something that can be associated with memories and its visceral impact can deeply affect individuals so profoundly that a single instant in one's life can be forever framed by a piece of music or a single bar of melody could sweep one out of the present and usher them into the past without missing a beat. How and why music does is this is a mystery that I would like to explore more deeply and this study is a good sociological first step into evaluating the relationship that people have with the music to which they listen.