Nostalgia and Being Challenged by Music

I am teaching a course called Psychology in Music this semester, one that was not on my planned list to teach but nonetheless I am very happy to be doing it. In taking over the instruction midway through the term, I have been shaping it to be lectures and demonstrations on psychoacoustics, music perception, music cognition, and cultural significances/definitions of music.

We started on a class discussion asking, "What is Music?", which lead us into the topic of evolution, nostalgia, and safety in music. The psychologist Steven Pinker once stated that music is "auditory cheesecake", as it is an evolutionary byproduct that never had a central role in our advancement as a species. He goes on to say things like children adapt to learning speech without adult intervention and pick up on it in passing. As if children do not pick up on music the same way? Or a myriad of other things? That topic is better left for another entry but it did get us to discussing the idea of safety through music. The conclusion, which I think has merit, is that most people look to music for comfort and clarity and not to be challenged in any big way. Unlike other art forms where in comparison novelty is welcomed, especially film and television, music doing so brings upon negative and sometimes outright aggressive feelings.

Another point I recently read is that because music excites all parts of our brain, including the limbic system, it is more closely identified as defining our whole identity. During our formal years, often teen years, where we are discovering and building identity, music is closely related to this process.

Music can mean safety, the familiar, and when we feel comfortable within ourselves. So what is it that draws some of us to the abstract, experimental, or unconventional styles of music? I'm not sure...

March 16, 2026 Oneonta, NY

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