Disclaimer: Kevin’s views are not necessarily those of EB Media’s.

Whoa, whoa. So there’s magic involved here?

Seriously, every human has a “critical period” for language development. We also have that period for musical tastes. This starts at the age of 14 and peaks at 24. “Pubertal growth hormones make everything we’re experiencing, including music, seem very important. We’re just reaching a point in our cognitive development when we’re developing our own tastes. And musical tastes become a badge of identity.” stated Daniel J. Levitin, a professor of psychology and the director of the Laboratory for Music Perception, Cognition and Expertise at McGill University.

This is legit since I can say from experience that music means the world to me. The music 14-year-olds listen to helps them define the boundaries of themselves and their friend groups. We listen to our types of music based on our personality. Peter J. Rentfrow and Samuel D. Gosling, both from University of Texas at Austin, have found, that those with more rebellious natures and higher degrees of “self-perceived intelligence” gather around the irreverent aggression of groups like the Dead Kennedys or Death Grips. More agreeable, social and attractive people tend to latch onto more popular styles with wide appeal, like Madonna or modern artists. They usually stick with their music or gather more bit by bit.

Individuals tend to be most open-minded and accepting around the age of 24. They’re also exposed to the widest range of musical influences from meeting people from diverse backgrounds on college campuses or at their work. The music that people consume during this age takes on a “special resonance.” They reminisce their music when they are elderly and express admiration for it. After 24, people stop acquiring as much new music, or if they do, they do not report as much preference or pleasure from it. You get bored eventually because the unbalance of hormones caused by puberty gives music definition to a deeper level as we still have “cracks” in our bodies. The music seeps in and settles to become part of you.

Starting at age 24 or 25, people’s ears also begin to lose sensitivity to higher pitches and become less adept at detecting small changes in pitch. Kids today should lower their darn music. I’m serious, I hear their music over MINE. And my music is loud enough at 50% volume. They lose their hearing after a while. They think they’re invincible but we’re all human. Humans who love music a bit too much, but all in healthy doses.

Music heard at 19-24 also gets encoded with all sorts of glorious memories from when people are in the primes of their lives, feeling free and accumulating their first truly meaningful sexual, creative and professional experiences. That’s one of the many reasons parents through the ages have hated their children’s music. Dang kids and their flubstap. Oh, dubstep I mean.

But the biggest reason we stop accumulating new musical preferences after 24 is that people’s personalities start to toughen/firm up. People become sure of their identities and stop seeking to challenge them. To some, it happens earlier or later. It depends if you’re willing to grow up. Trust me…. Maybe not. It all depends on you. Their friend groups begin to solidify, and since our musical tastes are influenced tremendously by the people around us (most of us), when our social circles become static, so too do our musical preferences.

Now keep in mind, this is still general since there are many of us who won’t/can’t fall into these categories. Either way, keep on listening, and good luck.

About the Author:

Kevin is a beginning musician for 4 years, capable of playing guitar, bass, piano, and drums. As a person who listens to everything, he loves to write about anything music related. He also enjoys expressing his views about life through his music.