Many people claim that music has an uncanny ability to touch our souls, evoke emotions, and make us feel alive (mostly wrongly).
From the soaring crescendos of symphonies to the infectious hooks of pop songs, music has been an integral part of human culture for millennia.
However, there’s a curious phenomenon that many of us experience: as much as we love our favorite songs, listening to them repeatedly can lead to irritation and fatigue. So, why does this happen?
Let’s explore the intriguing science behind why we get irritated by listening to even our favorite music multiple times.
Brain’s Reward System
Our brain’s reward system plays a significant role in shaping our musical preferences. When we discover a new song we love, our brains release neurotransmitters like dopamine, which generate feelings of pleasure and reward.
This response reinforces our connection to the music and encourages us to seek it out again. However, with repeated listens, the brain’s response to the song may diminish over time.
The novelty of the music fades, and the brain’s reward system becomes less stimulated. As a result, the song may no longer provide the same level of pleasure as it did during its initial discovery.
Habituation Effect
Another aspect that contributes to music irritation is the habituation effect. The more we are exposed to a particular stimulus (in this case, a song), the more familiar it becomes.
Familiarity is generally comforting, but in the context of music, excessive exposure can lead to diminishing returns.
Our brains become desensitized to the song’s nuances and subtleties, causing it to lose its initial charm.
Consequently, the song may no longer evoke the same emotional response, and irritation can take its place.
Overexposure and Context
Experiencing a song too frequently or in specific contexts can also contribute to music fatigue.
For example, imagine having a favorite song as your morning alarm for weeks or hearing it repeatedly in a commercial or TV show.
In such cases, the song becomes associated with mundane or annoying experiences, undermining its enjoyment potential.
The more we associate a song with negative or mundane contexts, the more likely it is to irritate us when we hear it again.
Changing Tastes and Moods
Human beings are continually evolving creatures, and our tastes in music can change over time. What once resonated deeply with us may no longer align with our current preferences and moods.
As our taste shifts, our favorite songs may begin to feel out of place or disconnected from who we are at present. This disconnect can lead to irritation when listening to these once-loved tracks.
Solutions according to Music Experts
While music fatigue is a common phenomenon, there are ways to mitigate it and rediscover the joy in our favorite tunes:
- Diversify Your Playlist: Introduce new songs and genres into your playlist regularly. Exploring fresh music can help revive your passion for music and create a more dynamic listening experience.
- Take Breaks: Instead of listening to your favorite song on repeat, give it some space and come back to it after a while. A temporary break can rekindle the excitement when you revisit it later.
- Explore Live Performances: Attending concerts or watching live performances, whether in-person or online, can rejuvenate your love for a song. The energy of a live setting can elevate the music’s impact significantly.
Islamic Insights
Islam generally forbids anything that is addictive and takes human beings away from reality. With regards to music, following Hadiths are noteworthy.
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: The bell is the musical instrument of the Satan. Sahih Muslim 2114
Narrated Aisha: Abu Bakr came to my house while two small Ansari girls were singing beside me the stories of the Ansar concerning the Day of Buath. And they were not singers. Abu Bakr said protestingly, “Musical instruments of Satan in the house of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) !” It happened on the `Id day and Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “O Abu Bakr! There is an `Id for every nation and this is our `Id.” Sahih al-Bukhari 952
It was narrated that Al-Awza’i said: “Umar bin ‘Abdul-‘Aziz wrote a letter to ‘Umar bin Al-Walid in which he said: ‘The share that your father gave to you was the entire Khumus,[1] but the share that your father is entitled to is the same as that of any man among the Muslims, on which is due the rights of Allah and His Messenger, and of relatives, orphans, the poor and wayfarers. How many will dispute with your father on the Day of Resurrection! How can he be saved who has so many disputants? And your openly allowing musical instruments and wind instruments is an innovation in Islam. I was thinking of sending someone to you who would cut off your evil long hair.”‘ Sunan an-Nasa’i 4135
Narrated Abu ‘Amir or Abu Malik Al-Ash’ari: That he heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, “From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful. And there will be some people who will stay near the side of a mountain and in the evening their shepherd will come to them with their sheep and ask them for something, but they will say to him, ‘Return to us tomorrow.’ Allah will destroy them during the night and will let the mountain fall on them, and He will transform the rest of them into monkeys and pigs and they will remain so till the Day of Resurrection.” Sahih al-Bukhari 5590
Conclusion
The phenomenon of getting irritated by our favorite music when listening to it multiple times is a fascinating quirk of human perception.
Our brains’ reward system, the habituation effect, overexposure, changing tastes, and moods all play their part in altering our emotional response to music.