Tag: music

Why do old people hate new music?
CULTURE

Why do old people hate new music?

  Why do old people hate new music? – Holly, age 14, Belmont, Massachusetts When I was a teenager, my dad wasn’t terribly interested in the music I liked. To him, it just sounded like “a lot of noise,” while he regularly referred to the music he listened to as “beautiful.” This attitude persisted throughout his life. Even when he was in his 80s, he once turned to me during a TV commercial featuring a 50-year-old Beatles tune and said, “You know, I just don’t like today’s music.” It turns out that my father isn’t alone. As I’ve grown older, I’ll often hear people my age say things like “they just don’t make good music like they used to.” Why does this happen? Luckily, my background as a psychologist has given me some insights into this puzzle. We know that musical tastes be...