Memory Problems? Listen To The Beatles

In a weird day for music news the Hindustan Times (of all papers) reports that “Beatles’ tunes aid memory recall”. The article reports

British researchers have suggested that Beatles’ tunes can facilitate in recalling memory, which they claim will help them better understand someday how music could aid humans tap into the long forgotten events of their lives.

British researchers research some pretty strange things. What kind of hypothesis do you write for pursuing such a study? Anyway, there is apparently some connect between ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ and remembering the time you dived into a swimming pool naked but it wasn’t really a swimming pool and you weren’t really diving.

In their study, the researchers invited people to recount a memory that relates to the Beatles. Participants were told to think of the first thing that came to mind — a vivid memory relating to a particular album, song, news story or even a band member.

The study found that the recounted memories are almost always positive, that people remember particular episodes very vividly — sounds, smells and sights of the memory were often recounted.

It’s interesting to note that the only musical group selected was The Beatles, and the memories were positive. Rage Against The Machine, Wham and blink-182 are acts I need answers for.