It happens to everyone. Maybe you heard it on the radio or your best friend played it for you on Spotify but the first time you listened to that song it was instantly your new favorite. But now the novelty has worn off. You’ve listened to the same song over and over again for upwards of a week and you can’t stand to listen to it a moment longer. Why did this happen? The answer can be found in your brain.
The problem here is that neuroscientists still aren’t entirely sure of what happens in your brain to make you tired of the song you once loved but they have some theories. As explained by Kimberly Sena Moore, Ph. D., what happens in your brain while listening to music is that endorphins — more specifically, dopamine — are released when you hear the peak of a song. Dopamine is a “feel good” hormone, which is what causes you to enjoy the song.
But we can get even more particular about what happens inside your brain during the song. Up until the peak of the song, your caudate nucleus in your brain is waiting in anticipation for the peak — or if you have listened to the song before, it’s waiting for your favorite part. Once it hears this peak, your nucleus accumbens comes into action and releases the dopamine, according to the article “The Science Behind ‘Killing’ A Song When You Listen To It Too Much.”
Now the important part to see here is that every time you listen to the same song over and over again, your brain is starting to get used to the song and doesn’t get as excited at the peak of the song as it did the first time you listened to it. This is why you start to get sick of listening to the song you once loved.
Although, if the song you are listening to is musically complex, it will take longer for you to quit listening to it. This is because complex songs are more stimulating for your brain. It gives you more parts to unravel and allows you to focus on a variety of different components every time you listen.
Another factor that keeps your brain interested in a song is if you’re listening to your favorite song. The difference here is that you are hardwired to enjoy and eventually label songs that resonate with you as one your favorites. People connect with these songs because of their “melody, beat/rhythm, and lyrics,” as said by the article “Why We Don’t Get Sick Of Listening To Or Favorite Songs.” Because of this, it takes longer for you to get tired of listening to these songs.
The experience of coming back to a song you haven’t listened to in ages is a way to revive a song that you got sick of. I know when I listen to old songs now it feels like new again to sing along and experience all the joy the song gave me when I originally heard it. So even if I do get sick of a song I used to listen to every day I know that in time I’ll find excitement when listening to it again.
