Answer: Music
Clues: “Sound” and “Tune”
According to a new study, men typically connect most deeply with music and songs around age 16, while women peak around 19. The three-year difference reflects how gender shapes the way we use music during adolescence. This gap likely stems from different approaches: men often use intense music for rebellion and identity formation in mid-teens, while women engage with songs for broader emotional and social purposes that take longer to develop. Musical memory patterns diverge dramatically with age: men maintain lifelong connections to teenage music, while women increasingly favor recent songs as they get older, suggesting different relationships with music across the lifespan. The study of nearly 2,000 people across 84 countries reveals that our most meaningful musical moments don’t follow a one-size-fits-all timeline, challenging assumptions about when and how we form lasting connections to songs.