We practice being heartbroken before we fall in love. We practice confidence before we’re brave. We practice missing moments that haven’t even ended yet. We call it listening to music. Music is not passive entertainment, but emotional training where we can safely experience the future before it happens.Â
Humans rehearse things physically, for instance, sports, speeches, and interviews. But we can also rehearse emotionally, which is why music has become a safe place for our feelings. We can experience intense emotions without the consequences. Chances are, from a young age, you had already heard many breakup songs, and you hadn’t even experienced your first love. It allowed us to learn what loss can feel like before it happens. But the real question is, why are we drawn to sadness that hasn’t even occurred? My theory is that music can shape the feelings we can’t quite understand, yet to prepare us for when real heartbreak and sadness come, making it feel familiar.Â
We’ve all experienced that moment when you hear an amazing song, and suddenly you transform. Your posture, pace, and attitude perk up, and you’ve created an identity that embodies confidence, and that imagined confidence slowly becomes real. In those sentimental moments, music can be a memory maker. A lot of the time, we subconsciously associate songs with certain memories, and listening to those songs allows us to soak in nostalgia even if the moment is still happening.Â
At the end of the day, we do this for emotional preparedness. No one likes being caught off guard, and listening to certain music allows us to feel in control. Music doesn’t just reflect life, but it trains us for it, which might be why certain songs feel like they’ve known us longer than people have.Â