Our preference for this or that kind of music is obviously a deeply subjective matter. It can also be highly unstable， changing not only during a lifetime， but even on a scale of months， or even days. Yet despite such variety， there are three factors that are the main contributors.

The first is our upbringing， or the musical background which surrounded us in our formative years.

The kinds of music that we were exposed to as infants and toddlers helped to create very specific mental patterns—schemata—of the most typical melodic， harmonic， and rhythmic progressions.

These schemata serve to create expectations when we listen to music， and， as it turns out， we tend to experience greatest pleasure when those expectations are met.

However， even the most stable musical schemata can be overridden by socio-cultural concerns， and these constitute the second contribution to our musical preferences.

Music， likely from the very beginning of the existence of modern humans， has been used to bring people together in various kinds of activities， because it is really efficient at regulating bodily and emotional responses of large groups of participants.

Thus， it has served to create a sense of belonging， of group cohesion， of inclusion. The same mechanism applies today， where music brings listeners together in different activities.

Whether youre into heavy metal， or hip hop， or jazz， your preferences are guided in part by your desire to be a member of some social circle.

These two factors seem to paint a rather mechanical picture of musical preferences， but this is obviously not the case.

Nothing is likely to be more important than our own subjective feeling at the time of listening， and this is something that draws on a very complex and irreducible network of biological and cultural influences.

Especially today， with nearly unlimited access to all genres and styles of music， we use music as a tool for regulating or maintaining our emotions， and our moods.

This is why when you want to study you might reach for something unobtrusive， without words. Or when youre trying to relax before bed youll probably listen to something calm. All of these point to the fantastic flexibility of music in our lives. But deep down its all about what the music does to you， how it affects you emotionally， bodily and cognitively.

我們對(duì)這種或那種音樂(lè)的偏好顯然是很主觀的一件事，變數(shù)也很大，不僅在人的一生中會(huì)發(fā)生變化，甚至在幾個(gè)月、幾天內(nèi)都會(huì)發(fā)生變化。然而盡管有這些變數(shù)，有三個(gè)因素主要決定了我們的音樂(lè)品位。

首先就是我們的成長(zhǎng)環(huán)境，或者說(shuō)是我們成長(zhǎng)期周圍的音樂(lè)背景。

我們嬰幼兒時(shí)期所接觸的音樂(lè)類型幫助我們形成了特定的心理模式，即最典型的旋律、和聲和節(jié)奏進(jìn)行的基本認(rèn)知圖式。

當(dāng)我們聽(tīng)音樂(lè)時(shí)，這些圖式會(huì)使我們產(chǎn)生預(yù)期，結(jié)果就是，當(dāng)這些期待得到滿足時(shí)我們會(huì)感受到最大的快樂(lè)。

然而，即使是最穩(wěn)定的音樂(lè)圖式也會(huì)被社會(huì)文化因素所覆蓋，這也是決定我們音樂(lè)偏好的第二個(gè)因素。

可能從現(xiàn)代人類存在開(kāi)始，音樂(lè)就被用來(lái)把人們聚集到各種活動(dòng)中，因?yàn)橐魳?lè)在調(diào)節(jié)大量參與者的身體和情緒反應(yīng)方面非常有效。

因此，音樂(lè)被用來(lái)創(chuàng)造一種歸屬感、群體凝聚力和被包容的感覺(jué)。這一技巧現(xiàn)在也適用，在各種各樣的活動(dòng)中，音樂(lè)將聽(tīng)眾聚集在一起。

無(wú)論你是喜歡重金屬、嘻哈還是爵士樂(lè)，你的喜好中有一部分是受你想融入某個(gè)社會(huì)群體的愿望所驅(qū)使的。

以上兩個(gè)因素似乎描繪了一幅相當(dāng)機(jī)械的音樂(lè)偏好畫面，但顯然并非如此。

聽(tīng)音樂(lè)時(shí)好像沒(méi)有什么比我們的主觀感覺(jué)更重要的了，這涉及非常復(fù)雜又不能簡(jiǎn)化的生物和文化影響網(wǎng)絡(luò)。

尤其是在今天，我們幾乎可以不受任何限制地接觸到所有音樂(lè)流派和風(fēng)格，我們已經(jīng)把音樂(lè)作為一種管理或維持情緒和心情的工具。

這就是為什么在你想學(xué)習(xí)時(shí)會(huì)選擇不耗費(fèi)精力的沒(méi)有歌詞的音樂(lè)，或者睡前想要放松時(shí)會(huì)聽(tīng)安靜的音樂(lè)。這都是因?yàn)槲覀兩钪心軐?duì)音樂(lè)靈活選擇，但歸根結(jié)底這些都是關(guān)于音樂(lè)對(duì)你的改變，以及它是如何影響你的情緒、身體和認(rèn)知的。

Word Study

subjective /s?b'd?ekt?v/ adj. 主觀的

Everyones opinion is bound to be subjective.

upbringing /'?pbr????/ n. 養(yǎng)育;教養(yǎng)

regulate /'reɡjule?t/ v. 控制，管理

The activities of credit companies are regulated by law.