Songs we love from age 10 to 30 can affect rest of our lives

MUSIC can define a person’s career and life choices from the age of 10, scientists analysing Desert Island Discs have found.

Researchers at the University of Westminster and City, University of London examined the musical choices of 80 different guests on the long-running BBC radio show.

They noted that those who appeared across the episodes preferred music which reminded them of a time when they were aged between 10 and 30. This time span was identified as a “selfdefining period” in the course of their lives.

The study found that music plays a significant role during this period by connecting an individual to people, places and times that are central to their identity.

Researchers also discovered that celebrity “castaways” on the BBC Radio 4 program tended to select songs that reminded them of a loved one.

This played to the idea that someone was keeping them company on a desert island and therefore created a sense of security. Participants showed a tendency to include tracks they mentally associate with an important time in their lives as part of their eight-strong record bag.

Of the episodes analysed, 17 per cent of song choices were made because they reminded guests of their relationship with a specific person. Almost one in five (16 per cent) of selected songs acted as a reminder of a particular period of time. A further 12.9 per cent of choices stood out as connected to life-changing moments. In one episode Bruce Springsteen credited

by The Beatles – released in 1963, when Springsteen was aged 14 – as his inspiration for learning the guitar and starting a band.