That feeling when your favorite jam from high school comes on

We all tend to think the music of our youth is the best (s/o 2000s pop-punk, aka divorced dad rock) – and thanks to science, we have an idea of why that’s the case.

It turns out, the music we listen to during our formative years has a bigger impact on our minds than we thought, thanks to the “reminiscent bump.”

Bump, bump, bump

The reminiscent bump phenomenon claims that people recall much stronger memories from the ages of 10-30 than at any other point in their lives. These memories play a major part in making us who we are, and music seems to take up a significant amount of space.

• A 2021 study by Durham University looked at the “musical reminiscent bump” and its effect on our psyches. Researchers found “music that was in the charts during one’s adolescence was not only rated as more familiar but was also associated with more autobiographical memories.”
• In short, the music of our teenage years sticks with us for life – and is often linked to a sense of pleasant nostalgia. That's why we think our music is the best.

🧠 Not just music… The reminiscent bump phenomenon can also be applied to movies, TV shows, and even celebrities – anything we interacted with on a regular basis during those formative years.