The change in how music is perceived during romantic love at different stages of life is driven by the interaction of three factors: neurobiology, psychological experience, and the formation of a so-called “musical autobiography.”

Here are the main reasons for this phenomenon:

* **Hormonal background and neuroplasticity.** In a state of being in love, the brain operates in a mode of heightened production of dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin. Music that resonates with this state triggers a powerful dopamine release (the reward hormone). Replaying a track on repeat is an attempt to artificially prolong this chemical “high.” With age, neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to change under the influence of emotions) declines, so the hormonal storm in adulthood is less intense than in adolescence, which also alters the depth of immersion in music.

* **Emotional encoding effect (Hi-Fi memories).** The brain uses music as an “anchor” to lock in strong emotions. When a person is in love, perception is heightened. Music heard during this period becomes tightly bound to the image of the partner. Repetition (looping) acts as a subconscious mechanism to return to this specific trance-like state, where the object of affection feels closer.

* **Accumulated experience (psychological filters).**

* *In youth*, experience is limited, emotions are perceived as absolute, and the lack of emotional templates leads a person to absorb music as truth. One literally “lives through” the song.
* *In adulthood*, each new romantic experience is layered over a network of past disappointments or victories. The brain compares the present state with the past, so the same or similar music can no longer evoke the original naïve perception—it is experienced more deeply, but less destructively.

* **Resonance of meaning.** Musical taste and intellectual demand evolve. Lyrics or harmonies that caused deep immersion at 17 (due to maximalism) may seem trivial at 30. To reach a similar trance-like state later in life, a person requires a more complex and precise architecture of sound or meaning that matches their current inner world.