Some exploratory findings on the development of musical tastes.
Abstract
Preferences toward popular music appear to reflect tastes acquired during late adolescence or early adulthood. In an empirical investigation of this parsimonious inductive proposition, both the aggregate results (R = 0.84) and the disaggregated findings (R = 0.46) suggest that the development of tastes for popular music follows an inverted U-shaped pattern that reaches a peak in about the 24th year. Possible explanations include intrinsic components (e.g., a developmental period of maximum sensitivity analogous to the critical periods documented in ethological studies of imprinting) and extrinsic components (e.g., social pressures from one's peer group that reach peak intensity during a particular phase in one's life cycle).
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Previous studies show preferences for music from late adolescence and early adulthood.
“This is consistent with previous studies showing preferences for music from late adolescence and early adulthood (Holbrook and Schindler, 1989; Schulkind et al., 1999; Janssen et al., 2007).”
From Listening Niches across a Century of Popular Music (2017) · cites this paper as Holbrook and Schindler, 1989
The present study replicated the song-specific age effect found in many studies.
“The present study replicated the song specific age effect found in many studies (e.g., Holbrook and Schindler, 1989; Schulkind et al., 1999; Schubert, 2016).”
From Listening Niches across a Century of Popular Music (2017) · cites this paper as Holbrook and Schindler, 1989
The song-specific age effect is an overall preference for songs that were popular in late adolescence and early adulthood.
“The effect is an overall preference for songs that were popular in late adolescence and early adulthood.”
From Listening Niches across a Century of Popular Music (2017) · cites this paper as Holbrook and Schindler, 1989
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Nostalgia and consumption preferences: some emerging patterns of consumer tastes
Holbrook, M. B. (1993) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/209346 · Cited by 736 · see citing works
Self-citationFeelings, Fantasies, and Memories
Holak, S. L., & Havlena, W. J. (1998) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/s0148-2963(97)00119-7 · Cited by 404 · see citing works
Holbrook, M. B., & Schindler, R. M. (1996) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/0148-2963(96)00023-9 · Cited by 208 · see citing works
Self-citationNostalgia Weakens the Desire for Money
Lasaleta, J. D., Sedikides, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2014) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/677227 · Cited by 199 · see citing works
Janssen, S. M. J., Rubin, D. C., & St. Jacques, P. L. (2011) · Memory & Cognition · doi:10.3758/s13421-010-0003-x · Cited by 122 · see citing works
Listening Niches across a Century of Popular Music
Krumhansl, C. L. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00431 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Tarrant, M., Warmoth, K., Code, C., Dean, S., Goodwin, V. A., Stein, K., & Sugavanam, T. (2016) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009652 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
It was a most unusual time: How memory bias engenders nostalgic preferences
Morewedge, C. K. (2013) · Journal of Behavioral Decision Making · doi:10.1002/bdm.1767 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
- Authors
- Holbrook, M. B., & Schindler, R. M.
- Affiliations
- Columbia University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Consumer Research
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1989-06
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 119
- ISSN
- 0093-5301 (ISSN-L)
- 1537-5277
- OpenAlex
- W2084149479
- Cited by
- 541
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 62 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 37 · 2013: 26 · 2012: 22
- FWCI
- 80.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Consumer Research (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Music › Music History and Culture
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Nostalgia and Consumer Behavior
- Keywords
- musical taste, age differences, adolescent development, early adulthood, inverted U-shaped relationship, critical period, imprinting, peer influence, social pressure, life cycle
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