Although everyone goes through favorite songs and then they get played and played and played on the radio, there is nothing like your song of the summer. When you find a good song on YouTube, Spotify or Soundcloud, it becomes a quick addiction. Listening to it on repeat for hours straight and sending it to everyone you know are two key parts of a song addiction. But a summer song or a summer playlist is like nothing else. It brings you right back to those long car rides to the beach each weekend and hanging out with friends. Not only is this something we can all relate to, but it is also scientifically proven.

Science lead us to the discovery of our emotional memory, based in your Amygdala (two almond shaped groups of nuclei in your brain). Without delving too much into the exact science of it, your emotional memory is a memory that has some emotion connected to it, whether that be fear or happiness. With that, your brain is able to store a memory that is connected to an emotion. So, your brain is able to detect that this specific song was played and listened to a lot during happy and exciting times, therefore connecting the thoughts. So, when you listen to that familiar song months later, during the winter or a year later, it will bring you back to those long car rides to the beach, hanging out with friends by the pool, and utter happiness. Not only do you just love the song and the beat, but it also puts a smile on your face.

Listening to all those summer throwbacks is one of my favorite things to do each year. Just like previously stated, each one puts a big smile on my face and brings me back to a different time and place. Similarly, certain scents or foods can bring you to bad memories (like of food poisoning...). All of these sensations are associated with the Amygdala in your brain which then in turn, have the strong associations to any given emotion depending on mood and personality, etc. It is a great moment when you become so happy to hear an old song or smell that smell of camp (which we all know is just freshly cut grass). So imagine having an issue with your Amygdala! That being said, now that we understand why listening to these songs months later makes us so happy, I cannot wait to find out what my songs of the summer will be this year! Everyone loves their summer playlist and summer itself so make this a good one!