Abstract
Listening to music can bring back vivid memories from one's past. In recent years there has been an increase in both scientific and public interest in the ability of music to evoke vivid, emotional, and rich autobiographical memories. For example, several “viral” videos have taken the internet by storm, illustrating powerful instances of music evoking memories in individuals with dementia – perhaps the most recent example is a clip of a former ballerina with Alzheimer's disease who recalls her dance movements at the sound of “Swan Lake.” Current scientific work in this area informs the mechanisms by which music induces emotions and provides critical evidence for assessing whether music is a uniquely effective memory cue. Research on music and autobiographical memory is also of practical relevance by informing the development of music-based interventions, for example, for people with memory disorders.
Recommended Citation
Belfi, A. M., & Jakubowski, K. (2021). Music and Autobiographical Memory. Music and Science, 4 SAGE.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1177/20592043211047123
Department(s)
Psychological Science
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
2059-2043
Document Type
Editorial
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2021 The Authors, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Publication Date
02 Nov 2021
