The Mere-Exposure Effect is a phenomenon stating that the more you are exposed to something, the more you develop an affinity for it. Lately, I’ve been using Spotify’s “Songs for You” feature, which creates a playlist of songs based on your past listening habits. I’ve noticed that it recommends earworms – catchy tunes that get stuck in my head. While these songs are somewhat similar to my usual music preferences, they’re not what I would expect to discover during my musical explorations.
This makes me wonder if there is some hidden option within Spotify’s corporate structure, or perhaps even the Illuminati, where artists can pay to have their songs promoted more frequently. As a result, listeners experience the mere exposure effect and ultimately develop a liking for the song, wanting to listen to it more.
This is something I mentioned to Berta last night in the midst of a different topic: I don't panic. There are obviously different ways people deal with adversity, and some people are prone to paralytic panic, the kind that cripples their ability to think clearly. Some people in those adverse situations cope with the rising panic, push it down, and are able to continue in spite of that. The thing is, I'm neither of those. I just don't panic.
I am not touting this as a virtue, although it is often handy to be able to remain calm when everything is off the rails. Rather, I believe I am mis-wired to simply not be panicky. When things occur that would obviously cause panic in anyone else, I tend to completely detach. I don't feel the panic. I don't push it back or even recognize that it's there. I simply don't experience it. There is no fear, no anxiety.
