Image:
-
The Wisdom of Psychopaths
In this engrossing journey into the lives of psychopaths and their infamously crafty behaviors, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton reveals that there is a...
Read More »
In 2009, Miley Cyrus reportedly made an astonishing 25 million dollars. Most of that money came from album sales, which were reported to be slightly over 4 million during that year. Four million…Four million?! Have you heard Miley Cyrus sing? Are there really four million kids out there willing to spend their hard-earned babysitting money on a Miley Cyrus album because they deeply love listening to her sing? Well, according to the findings of a study recently published in Neuroimage, selling four million albums does not translate to having four million people like your music. The study reports that there is good reason to believe that a lot of those purchases were made out of fear -- a fear well known to adolescents all over America: terror of social rejection.
The fear of social rejection is so strong in adolescents because their relationships are essential for passing on the lessons that will enable them to join adult society. In order to do this properly and efficiently, teenagers come equipped with the ability to learn fast and furiously from their peers, especially those who wield more social power -- who are older or more popular. Although this system developed because it helps the teen transition to adulthood, it has proven an excellent principle upon which to base economic decisions. The popular kids dictate teen culture, and if they endorse it (Twilight, anyone?) it will sell.
Gregory S. Berns, the chair of Neuroeconomics at Emory University, and his colleagues set out to understand more about the neural and behavioral mechanics of social influence on decisions about purchasing music. The researchers’ basic question was: When people change their behavior based on social influence, is it their actual preferences that change, or simply their behavior? In order to investigate this question they designed a clever behavioral study that was amenable to being performed while participants had their brains scanned.
The researchers chose to study adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17, a cohort thought to be highly susceptible to social influence, and known to buy at least one third of albums in the United States. Each participant heard a short clip of a song downloaded from the social-networking website Myspace. Following the clip they were asked to make two ratings, one indicating how familiar they were with the clip (which was always the hook or chorus of the chosen song) and one indicating how much they liked the clip on a five point scale. The clip was then played a second time, and they were again asked to rate how much they liked the song. However, in two thirds of these second trials the teens were shown a popularity rating that was estimated based on the number of times the song was downloaded.
When no information about the popularity of a song was displayed, teens changed their likability rating of the song 12 percent of the time. Not surprisingly, after being shown the popularity of a song, teens changed their ratings more frequently, on average 22 percent of the time. This difference was highly significant, and it is worth noting that among those who changed their likability ratings, 79 percent of the time teens changed their ratings in the direction of the popularity rating -- they followed the crowd.
These behavioral findings validate a great deal of previous research on conformity, and demonstrate that it is alive and well in the average American adolescent. Although these results are compelling, they do not address whether or not teens were actually “following the crowd” or, upon further reflection and information from their peers, changed their intrinsic preference for a particular piece of music. To investigate this question, Berns and his colleagues looked to brain activity.
Their logic was simple: Using the first rating of the songs, it would be possible to find a network of brain regions that related to individuals’ reports of liking the music. If, after they changed their minds in the second rating, this network appeared again, then it would suggest that the adolescents really did change how much they liked the music based on the influence of their peers. If, on the other hand, a different network of regions revealed itself following a change in likability rating, this would be more in line with the notion that teens were simply complying with their peers.
Liking of songs, based on teens’ initial ratings was strongly related to activity in the head of the caudate nucleus. Although the exact nature of caudate activity remains a source of debate, most agree that activity in this area is highly related to reward and valuation. So it appears to reflect pleasure, not familiarity. The researchers also observed activity in a number of regions that have been previously associated with the pleasurable aspects of listening to music.
When adolescents changed their ratings, according to their brain activity, it had nothing to do with increased liking of the music. Instead, a very different picture emerged. The network of regions associated with changing a rating included bilateral insula, the anterior cingulate cortex and the supplementary motor cortex and frontal poles -- regions previously associated with anxiety and pain. These regions all showed increased activity when teens were shown a popularity rating that did not match their own, meaning that they had this neural response prior to changing their own rating. Interestingly, individuals who demonstrated the greatest sensitivity to popularity, as determined by survey measures taken at the beginning of the study, manifested the strongest insula activity during the act of conforming. Simply, the greater the insula activity, the higher the odds of conforming. The authors suggest that this pattern of activity can be explained by cognitive or emotional dissonance caused by the mismatch between one’s ratings and the ratings of others.
So, the authors argue, conforming seems to be motivated not by the positive utility of behaving like your peers, but instead out of anxiety and pain at the prospect of being a “contrarian.” Again, this points to the function of peer influence during adolescence. During adolescence, peers wield considerable coercive power -- that is, friends are quick to dispense disapproval, teasing and rejection when social norms are not followed. The pain of being rejected by one’s peer group can be a matter of life or death, as recent cyber-bullying cases in the news demonstrate.
So what does this study mean practically? Well, there are very different implications for commerce and parents. In terms of marketing, if you want to sell a lot of albums, get the popular kids hooked, and their endorsement will cause enough fear among their overly attentive peers to make the music sell. The idea of being able to relate to another teen for only $12.95 is very appealing to adolescents, who are consumed with trying to maintain their status in their peer groups.
For parents the implications are a little different. Take heart from these findings. It is likely the case that your teenagers do not actually like the terrible music you hear during those brief moments when they take their ear buds out. In fact, the researchers found that adolescents who were most sensitive to the ratings of others engaged in much less active listening (which is particularly encouraging given the lyrics of some popular music). The bottom line for parents is that if your adolescents’ need for the latest Hannah Montana album keeps them in step with their peer group, take it as a sign that they are aware of their culture -- and this type of conformity is often predictive of a teen eventually becoming a well-adjusted adult.
See what we're tweeting about
51 Comments
Add Comment"It is likely the case that your teenagers do not actually like the terrible music you hear during those brief moments when they take their ear buds out"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's easy to start to appreciate new music when you're young. This test only observed initial reactions.
"The bottom line for parents is that if your adolescents need for the latest Hannah Montana album keeps them in step with their peer group, take it as a sign that they are aware of their culture -- and this type of conformity is often predictive of a teen eventually becoming a well-adjusted adult."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm confused. Is this suggesting that the teens who are mindlessly listening to terrible music will become well adjusted adults? If so, that might be the silliest thing I have ever heard.
"...take it as a sign that they are aware of their culture -- and this type of conformity is often predictive of a teen eventually becoming a well-adjusted adult."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisUh, no. I don't think conformity leads to well adjusted adults. I think if this goes on we'll end up in a society of non-thinking carbon copies based on a few distinct idols.
OH WAIT.
Conformity is what lead to Hitler. Wether this can be considered as being positive?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisConformity is also what makes you wear clothes when you leave the house. Small amounts of social anxiety teach us the rules of our society, this is not the stuff of cults, simply peer learning among adolescents. As the mother of a VERY independently thinking teen, I can assure you that teenage conformity looks nothing like adult automatons. Conjuring the image of hitler in relation to a small percentage (22%) of teens "going along with the crowd" because of social awareness and potential anxiety is simply ridiculous. You should probably stop using "please" and "thank you" as well-- that's conformity as well...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy daughter hated Britney Spears and Christina Aguilara when she was 10, she hates Miley Cyrus now that she's 17. To her bad music is just....well....bad and she has more taste than that. To say that because my daughter who doesn't like bad singers who encourage girls to dress like hoochie mamas and pole dance will somehow not be a well adjusted adult is just asinine. She and my son have never followed trends and my son thinks that cell phones are pretentious and rude. I've raised them to think for themselves. Isn't it better to be different from everyone else rather than different like everyone else? Conformity in behaviour such as not talking out loud during a movie or opening a door for a lady is one thing, marching in lock-step with the latest teenage fad is quite another.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree with this article and think that many times teens just follow along with the crowd because of fear of social rejection and I think it is interesting that the part of the brain that corresponds to change based on peer popularity is in the region that corresponds to fear. It is interesting to know also that people who listen to music solely because it is popular do not listen that closely to it. I for one am a prime example of someone who does this, I will listen to a rap song just because it is popular and not really listen to what is being said. I think it is encouraging that studies like this are done, because it gives people a clue as to why teenagers act the way they do. I am guilty of falling victim to the fear of social rejection so it is nice to find out why, and know that I am not alone that many teenagers are guilty of the same thing.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWell adjusted adults do as they're told. I'm sure you own a car, care too much about clothing, look forward to owning a house, hope to have a long term romantic partner, watch too many movies, eat an excessive amount of twinkies, pray to a chauvinistic God, watch American Idol. Indeed, these are all social norms that extend your social relations. These behaviors may be silly, but not following them (especially in less civilized cultures) may lead to social and actual death. How many people have died for religious differences?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe life of an eccentric isn't as satisfying as you might think.
I think that is a huge leap (in fact, I would say a complete departure) from the author's argument. The conformity she talks about is a sensitivity to peers that I agree is absolutely essential for a well-adjusted adult. Although conformity can lead to listening to bad music or bullying or using drugs/alcohol, conformity can also lead to being kind to younger children, supporting a friend who has lost a parent, and succeeding in school.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhile it can be admirable when teens buck trends, it is not the norm, and the norm is what the study is examining. Having taught adolescents, I've been struck by how strong the compulsion is to follow the crowd. It seems to make sense that such a strong compulsion stems from fear.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe might hope that our teens beat their own drums happily, confidently...and not socially isolated. But it seems that teens are not naturally wired to do so.
I think the author's point is simply that if your teen does follow the crowd, as most do, it's nothing to freak out about, that he or she will likely become a well-adjusted, free-thinking adult, not a cult member or automatonthat it's developmentally normal to follow the crowd as an adolescent.
Well the good thing about teens are, they usually know what they like and are usually right on the money!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJess
www.online-anonymity.us.tc
Ok you "non-conformist adults". I generally agree with this report, however, I think this fear of non conformity is not the sole province of adolescence. How can you otherwise explain the enormous popularity of baby boomers riding Harleys with gray pony tails flagging behind their bald heads?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI wonder how much conformity would even be an issue if it were not for the omnipresent pop culture we are all being violated with. If we could only shut it off we may be able to avoid getting a tattoo.
OK, so now that we've established the author isn't arguing that all children who listen to Miley Cyrus and watch Twilight are doomed to become mindless drones in later life... are there potential means of lessening social anxiety so that adolescents might be more comfortable with exhibiting their individual differences?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI wonder where the healthy balance between conformity and originality is. Some amount of conformity is necessary in order for people to work together, get along, and just generally coexist. On the other hand, a lot of our most admired historical figures were probably not the captains of their high-school football teams (or even riding the bench for that matter).
This article really makes you think about why you like the music you like. If you are predisposed to this kind of "fear" at such a young age, it must have an effect on molding the type of music you come to enjoy as an adult.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI wonder when this conformity stops and how ingrained it becomes. As a kid, I loved Britney Spears and the Spice Girls as that was the thing to do. Now, I still love listening to that music. Is this a product of my nostalgia for simpler days when fitting in was just a matter of liking the right music, or do I actually like that music?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think this article is rather interesting because it shows why we as a general public are hearing the same cliched music with almost identical beats. This is why the music companies create such formulaic songs, because the identical melody in each of Miley Cyrus', which really is the same as Brittany Spears', songs are popular. Its easy and cheaper to use the same melody, change a few lyrics and then market a song the same way they did the other 20 other songs that came before. Since these songs are popular, I do agree that most other young teenagers will conform and listen to the new Miley Cyrus song. Thus, the music company becomes richer.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think really in the end the reason why a lot of the popular kids want to be not only like Miley Cyrus, but also be Miley Cyrus, is because she is the ultimate "popularity goddess." Then the kids who feel they are less popular want to be like the popular kids and so on and so on. Thus, creating the infamous teenage hierarchy.
>Whether you like it or not, to conform with our peer group or our
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this>society as a whole is an evolutionarily adapt behavior. It is true
>that we need innovators, rebels, people who will not conform, but
>they are the minority. Not everyone can be rebels, because then they
>would not have anything to rebel against and also because it is hard
>going against the norm, or constantly checking to see if our
>behaviors are a result of our true desire. It requires much
>cognitive energy and courage to not conform. It is much easier to
>conform, even if it is only for some situations.
>
>Conforming will allow adolescents to fit in, and thus protect them
>from the detrimental effect that social rejection and bullying would
>have on their self-esteem and self-concept. Imagine not being
>allowed to participate in the social practices that are crucial for
>a teen's entrance into adulthood. Aside from the obvious issues with
>confidence, teens who have not had enough practice with the social
>rites of adolescence will continue to be relatively more socially
>awkward as they enter adulthood and risk more chance of further
>social rejection. Social rejection during adolescence might also
>affect the development of other important life skills such as
>corporation and communication.
>
>Therefore, I agree with the view voiced by this article, that
>conforming teens will grow up to become better adjusted adults.
>Adolescence is going to be a difficult phrase of development for
>teens as well as parents no matter what, parents should just take
>solace at the small fact that they didn't raise someone will a
>terrible taste in music.
Luckily when I was a teenager during the 90's, there was GOOD music that was new coming out all the time. '91-'97 were good years for music. Nowadays its all crap. I never liked anything simply because it was popular, I caught flak from my "peers" for liking some of the things I liked because they weren't popular, or because they were "old news". Guess what? I still like all that music. Long Live Rock & Roll.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis article was fwded to me by a colleague, and was of particular professional [I work in commercial branding and marketing] and personal [father of pre-teen] interest. I might not know from caudate nucleus heads, but the above seems right in line with what we've observed anecdotally for years. I'm hoping SA runs *more* on this subject -- I'll be tuning in. Thanks!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe article addresses what contributes to decision making instead of whether adolescents should conform to their peers or not. Although the author does inputs his own opinions on the matter, the study isn't to verify or disprove anything about any potential health hazards of adolescent conformity. The article simply shows why some adolescents do what they do, and what options we have after taking into account the choices of the adolescents.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe article addresses what contributes to decision making in adolescents, not to verify or disprove any potential health hazards peer conformity may have. Although the author inputs his own opinions, the study is unbiased. The study simply shows what influences some adolescents into making the choices they do. Based on results, it would appear that anxiety and fear is crucial for adolescents in making choices. The author just tells us what options we have in engaging those adolescents after taking into account how their choices can be affected.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisConformity to some extent, such as basic social norms, is important for healthy development. This article is trying to demonstrate that. At the same time, the article is not saying that everyone has to be identical. Adolescents are showing their normal, healthy development by being socially aware of what is acceptable within their peer group and music is just an example of it. Clothing is another example, same with hairstyles and even food preferences. Kids usually don't like to admit that they like a food that their peers hate (brussels sprouts for example). Kids want to fit in and lead a normal life.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI wonder whether or not this trend will change as our culture continues to become increasingly "personalized". Children no longer need to listen to the radio, or crowd around a stereo system to listen to whatever the most recent hit is. It doesn't seem like an unreasonable prediction that in 20 years, when every person has their own computer, own ipod, etc, that this culture of assimilation will start to deteriorate. It is already so easy to access media that is not "mainstream" (think Pandora, iTunes Genius etc) that I cannot help but think that in the near future, there will be much greater diversity of media choice. If this is any predictor of a future era in general, will the trends as described by Baird hold true?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think this a great article clarifying the widespread areas of culture that are susceptible to social pressure, and the importance of social influence for teens. I wish there were more information regarding the evolutionary necessity of conformity for adolescents, and more comparative results between adolescents and young adults, to see if conformity would give way to self-definition. I think this article does a great job, however, at vividly describing the emotional torrents of teens and makes that intense state of mind accessible and easier to comprehend, which is necessary for readers, researchers and parents alike.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is worth discussing how fear of social rejection influences other aspects of adolescent conformity. If fear affects relatively benign (yet embarrassing) choices in music, does a similar fear response also affect adolescent drug and alcohol use? It has long been presumed that those same popular kids who push Hannah Montana sales may also be encouraging others to drink and smoke, and the adolescents who are the most afraid of social rejection will cave under the peer pressure. However, the results of the original study (G.S. Berns et al.) indicate that the participants who were most affected by the music popularity ratings were the youngest, did not engage in drinking/drugs/sex, and were adverse to financial gambles. This finding suggests that although anxious adolescents are more likely to follow their peers when it comes to innocent behaviors, anxiety may also cause them to resist potentially dangerous types of conformity that conflict with the messages parents and teachers provide. These younger adolescents adherence to innocent conforming behaviors and avoidance of risky behaviors represents a highly adaptive type of conformity. Contrary to popular belief, adolescents who choose to engage in risky activities may not be anxious social-outliers desperate to fit in with the popular crowd. However, it may just be that at this young age, when drinking and drug use is relatively rare, abstaining from these behaviors is consistent with social pressure. It would be interesting to conduct a longitudinal study to determine whether the young teens affected by music ratings conform to risky social pressures or continue to resist during the later teen years. I think that the results of the current study and future studies on adolescent conformity will continue to alter how parents and teachers understand and attempt to guide adolescents.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhile I think the findings of the study are intriguing, I think the researchers ignored an important issue when performing the experiment. I believe that the context in which the teenagers listen to the music is essential to their legitimate enjoyment of it. For example, while they might not enjoy listening to Miley Cyrus when by themselves, they might legitimately enjoy it when with their friends because of all of the other fun activities that accompany it (for example: dancing, singing). Instead of conforming to music taste, perhaps it is just conforming to a certain set of activities that accompany listening to that popular music. I would never choose to listen to Lady Gaga by myself, but I cannot deny that when hanging out with my friends, I enjoy singing along with them. Perhaps the anxiety that was apparent in the brain scans when the participants' ratings disagreed with popular ratings were more related to an anxiety that they would not be able to participate in those associated enjoyable activities if they did not tolerate the music. I think an interesting follow up to this study would be to somehow measure brain activity in a situation in which the participants were with their friends. I have no doubt that conformity contributes to the result of the study, but the reason for the conformity may be deeper than just the music itself.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen I was a young child, I was constitutionally incapable of going along with the crowd when the crowd was doing something that I thought was wrong--bullying for instance, or playing games that isolated other kids, or making fun of disabled children, etc. I would leave, rather than play along, which did not make me popular. When I was an adolescent, I was incapable of enjoying a specific song, actor, or television show just because everyone did--I either liked something or I didn't.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am still the same way, but now my independent streak enables me to make my living as a writer.
"The network of regions associated with changing a rating included bilateral insula, the anterior cingulate cortex and the supplementary motor cortex and frontal poles -- regions previously associated with anxiety and pain. "
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHmm. Perhaps, this study also touched on something even deeper then conforming to peer pressure. Maybe, the network activitated has something to do with going against one's own conscience. Talk about a lie detector!
I believe this article sheds light on a very controversial topic concerning adolescent development. While many parents fear the negative affects of peer influence, it may be normal, even beneficial that they do so. Constructing understanding of social norms and peer interaction is a vital process developed throughout adolescence. These developments, I believe, are what the author indicates aid the developing teens in creating accepted and socially functioning adult personas. I agree that this social construction via some level of "conformity" is necessary for adequate social growth. However, I fear the conclusion of the article may give rise to what I feel was an unintended message by the author to appraise any conformity on the part of the teen as acceptable and positive. When conformity crosses the line from the application to social norms, the fostering of lines of communication, and the drive for attainment of a place atop the social hierarchy to anything dangering the health or well-being of the individual or other individuals or the neglect of personal beliefs and wants, I believe it is the part of the parent or guardian to instruct and model for the child when to disregard public opinion and/or norms and hold true to your own.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOn a more physiological note, I think the findings of brain patterns related to peer influence explain a lot of behaviors, not only of adolescents, but of adults with political agendas, families, and competitive coworkers/employers.
Selkie25 - 22% of any given population is enough to destroy the world. The percentages of German NAZIs never topped 20%. Hitler still managed to murder tens of millions of people. Russian and Chinese participation in the communist party has never exceeded 20% and is usually much lower through out history.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhile I agree that most conformity is a good thing it is very clear that conformity is easy to abuse. The economic collapse was caused by conformity to a flawed view of economics. The blatantly illegal invasion of Iraq was caused by mindless conformity. The flip side is that fear controls around 80% of obedience to the law.
I went through a lot of pain because I didn't confom as a teenager. Decades later I have had my revenge: I out earn the vast majority of those that tormented me and my marriage hasn't failed like most of theirs. I wouldn't call myself well adjusted though.
Of course teens to tend to follow a crowd, hence the safety in numbers notion. Personally being ostracized as a teen, I was excommunicated from the "in" crowd. It was a difficult time and I began to develop my own identity quickly, though would have preferred to stay within the "group." As people group up, independent thought began to run it's own course and there was less pressure of having to belong or 'fit' into existing social groups.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGreat article.
Here I would like to point out a situation in India, which I suppose can be called social alienation. Most of the young teens in India listen to Bollywood Pop and film scores. They idolize Bollywood stars and musicians. There are also people here who listen to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. These kids have an "i-don't-give-a-damn" attitude to the music which rest of the teens are hearing, which gives them a feeling of being different and superior. To quote some of my friends who are into heavy metal: "Its not about the music, its all about the attitude". So i guess the situation is different in different cultures and countries.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhile I believe that having your own ideals and becoming your own person away from whatever the most mainstream trend is at the moment is very important, I agree that a healthy amount of social conformity is equally necessary in becoming an effective person in the world. The results from this study reminded me of the findings from the Iowa gambling study: that people are generally more loss-averse than reward-seeking. For young teens, avoiding the pain and anxiety associated with going against the social norm is a more powerful motivator than changing their actual preferences to like a certain song more. Luckily, because music tastes are generally established in your younger years (when you are most susceptible to peer influence or coercion), they can soon convince themselves that this is the music they will like. Very interesting article and a great analysis.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this" the authors argue, conforming seems to be motivated not by the positive utility of behaving like your peers, but instead out of anxiety and pain at the prospect of being a contrarian. "
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCouldn't one argue that conforming can be looked at as more of a continuum with positive utility & anxiety on opposite ends as opposed to two variables not related to/separate from each other?
meaning that it may not necessarily be one over the other but rather a combination?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFear of social rejection? My god, why would I want to ingratiate myself with such conformist imbeciles. I really rather stand alone and strong than drown in a crowd. When someone tries to offend you by calling you a loner-- respond cooly by stating that you are not that, but an individual.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFear of social rejection?--That truly makes me laugh! Why ever would I want to ingratiate myself with such a lot of brainless conformists? I rather stand alone and strong than drown in a crowd. And if someone dares "offend" me by calling me a 'loner', I respond cooly by stating that I am not that, but an individual-- which I doubt they can understand being.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think this is a great article that shows how important it can be to teenagers to listen to the "right" music. I did not conform to the crowd when I was in high school and I definitely had some problems with friends and with a sense of belonging (or rather, not belonging). I believe that it is important for teens to conform to the beliefs of their peers in order to ease adjustment and help them learn more about being part of society. It is very interesting (and makes sense to me) that the change in ratings was associated with the brain area for anxiety and pain. If teens don't listen to the music they feel they are supposed to like, they risk social rejection. However, I think that many teens may truly believe that they like the music and that they are not just listening to it out of fear. It also must be taken into account that the more times you hear a song, the more likely you are to enjoy it. Thus, teens may actually like the songs that are played more often more than those that are played less often.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think that jgk321 makes a good point that regardless of how they arrive at their judgement, I think many teens probably do believe that they sincerely like the music they're listening to. It would be interesting to test those teens who changed their ratings to see WHY they claim to have made the change. It seems like their ought to be some fascinating differences between those who know they're changing simply to conform and those who believe they actually like the music more than the first time they listened.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think that jgk321 makes a good point that regardless of how they arrive at their judgement, I think many teens probably do believe that they sincerely like the music they're listening to. It would be interesting to test those teens who changed their ratings to see WHY they claim to have made the change. It seems like their ought to be some fascinating differences between those who know they're changing simply to conform and those who believe they actually like the music more than the first time they listened.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI believe that the article was well written and I think that most of the time teens do want to fit in socially. There is definitely a difference between choosing what music you want to listen to or rather or not a teen does drugs but I believe that with the right parenting an adolescent will be able to differentiate with what is and isn't acceptable.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"The popular kids dictate teen culture, and if they endorse it (Twilight, anyone?) it will sell."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI was heartened by Ms. Baird's comment about the Twilight novels, and the last paragraph to parents, because it makes me hopeful that perhaps all of these teen/pre-teen girls who supposedly "love" Twilight and the themes and characters do not actually buy into the stories. It makes me feel a little relieved to think that perhaps these girls are just trying to fit in, and not truly idolizing the stories.
You are equating a study done about music and conformity to Hitler? That's a bit scary.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's interesting how often times record label industries dictate what becomes popular music. Thus, it raises the question, could they make us like anything? At what point does one's own self reliance or moral compass overpower the brain's fear of not fitting in? Is there truth to the saying if everyone jumped off a bridge would you? Of course this is a slippery slope fallacy. However, conformity extends far beyond one's music taste, but just how far?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think this is by far the more intriguing part of the article:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"The bottom line for parents is that if your adolescents need for the latest Hannah Montana album keeps them in step with their peer group, take it as a sign that they are aware of their culture -- and this type of conformity is often predictive of a teen eventually becoming a well-adjusted adult."
Personally, this frightens me a bit. Isn't our adolescence the time in our lives that shapes who we become as adults? It's interesting that if we're talking about a teen, it's conformity; but, if we're talking about an adult, then, well, that's just someone who is well-adjusted. What's the difference?
I find the link to pain and anxiety in conforming (or not conforming) to popular music preferences that is described in this articled fascinating. It really shows the tremendous power and influence that the popular kids have over those less popular.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI myself have never liked popular music, and was ashamed of this until I got to college. In high school and middle school, when my peers asked about my music preferences, I always evaded the question by saying "I listen to a bunch of different things," which, looking back, was surely out of fear of not conforming.
This article seems to focus more on popular music artists and movies among girls, neglecting those of boys. The two sexes surely will have different favorites within popular music (Miley Cyrus isn't terribly well-listened to by boys), so I am wondering if only girls were studied or if the popular music played was different for each sex. Another interesting study might focus on the similarities and differences of conformity needs between boys and girls.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI was the adolescent that this article talks about. While I didn't realize at the time what I was doing, now that I think back on it, I tried hard to conform to my peers and friends. Being the quieter person of the groups that I belonged to, I just went along with the crowd instead of trying to be extremely individualistic. While I'd like to say that I've changed a lot from adolescence to adulthood in this aspect, I would be lying if I did. While I have become a much stronger individual with my own opinions and the ability to break away from a group when needed, there are definitely times when I conform just because it is easier than trying to be extremely different.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHowever, even if you are trying to be extremely different from everyone else, you are the same as everyone else in that aspect, because everyone is always trying to be different. So in the end, we are all conforming. Conforming in the idea that we want to be different.
Facebook, anyone?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWell, here is the case.. I have a very sweet niece, kid to me, who just turned 13 and has a very fond of music. I'm still not able to trap his taste of music, but she loves to follow the trends...she appreciates all new teen stars and singers and to some extents it drives her...she is a good singer too and with very high ability to remember lyrics..I absolutely agree to the point that liking of the songs and music is related to one's activity and teens are no more an exception. But at the same time its important to follow the trends and appreciate the upcoming stars and their efforts. Teen music choices were mystery in my days and it still rules..we also need to admit the fact that teenagers are contributing a lot to today's economy and most of them are trendsetters...look at Miley Cyrus, Chris brown, taylor swift, rihanna, jade or any rising/ established star..they are true performers. For few of them it's too hard to handle the fame that they got at very early/ little age, but others are managing it well. Teens need to be in sync with current generation..with all latest and greatest or else they become extinct. Not sure if one love to call it terror of rejection..but its the kind of pace that one need to maintain :)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have never been one to follow the crowd myself. I have always found it too tiring, and to be completly truthful, quite boring. So i find it much more painful to conform to social norms then to not be able to be me. I suppose for me this spawns from never really being socially accepted from the start. It is quite interesting though that this type of pain reaction would come just from the fact of being truthful about one's feeling and then being sticken down in thier opinions by people in same age group. Its basically a domino effect within the fad dominated world of teens.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe government has become so good at brain washing future adults, that they getting children and teens to brainwash themselves.