What determines people's taste in music?
什么決定了人的音樂(lè)品味？

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來(lái)自哥倫比亞大學(xué)音樂(lè)理論本科主任Mariusz Kozak的回答：

OUR PREFERENCE FOR THIS OR THAT KIND OF MUSIC IS obviously a deeply subjective matter. It can also be highly unstable, changing not only during a lifetime, but even on a scale of months, or even days. Yet despite such variety, there are three factors that I think are the main contributors.
我們對(duì)這種或那種音樂(lè)的偏好顯然是很主觀的一件事，變數(shù)也很大，不僅在人的一生中會(huì)發(fā)生變化，甚至在幾個(gè)月、幾天內(nèi)都會(huì)發(fā)生變化。然而盡管有這些變數(shù)，我認(rèn)為有三個(gè)因素主要決定了我們的音樂(lè)品味。

The first is our upbringing, or the musical background which surrounded us in our formative years.
首先就是我們的教養(yǎng)，或我們性格形成期周?chē)囊魳?lè)背景。

The kinds of music that we were exposed to as infants and toddlers helped to create very specific mental patterns—schemata—of the most typical melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic progressions.
我們嬰幼兒時(shí)期所接觸的音樂(lè)類(lèi)型幫助我們形成了非常特殊的心理模式——圖示，它是最典型的有旋律的、協(xié)調(diào)的、有節(jié)奏的過(guò)程。

These schemata serve to create expectations when we listen to music, and, as it turns out, we tend to experience greatest pleasure when those expectations are met.
聽(tīng)音樂(lè)時(shí)圖示使我們有期待，結(jié)果就是這些期待得到滿(mǎn)足時(shí)我們會(huì)感受到最大的快樂(lè)。

However, even the most stable musical schemata can be overridden by socio-cultural concerns, and these constitute the second contribution to our musical preferences.
然而，甚至最穩(wěn)定的音樂(lè)模式也會(huì)被社會(huì)文化改變，這就二次形成了我們的音樂(lè)偏好。

Music, likely from the very beginning of the existence of modern humans, has been used to bring people together in various kinds of activities, because it is really efficient at regulating bodily and emotional responses of large groups of participants.
可能從現(xiàn)代人類(lèi)存在開(kāi)始音樂(lè)就被用來(lái)把人們聚集到各種活動(dòng)中，因?yàn)橐魳?lè)真的能很有效的調(diào)控一大群參與者身體與精神的反應(yīng)。

Thus, it has served to create a sense of belonging, of group cohesion, of inclusion. The same mechanism applies today, where music brings listeners together in different activities.
因此，音樂(lè)被用來(lái)創(chuàng)造歸屬感、群體凝聚力和被包容的感覺(jué)，這一技巧現(xiàn)在也適用，音樂(lè)把聽(tīng)眾聚在不同活動(dòng)中。

Whether you’re into heavy metal, or hip hop, or jazz, your preferences are guided in part by your desire to be a member of some social circle.
無(wú)論你是喜歡重金屬、嘻哈還是爵士樂(lè)，你的喜好中有一部分是受你想融入某個(gè)社會(huì)群體的愿望所驅(qū)使的。

These two factors seem to paint a rather mechanical picture of musical preferences, but this is obviously not the case.
以上兩個(gè)因素看起來(lái)對(duì)你的音樂(lè)偏好有著無(wú)意識(shí)的影響，但顯然并非如此。

Nothing is likely to be more important than our own subjective feeling at the time of listening, and this is something that draws on a very complex and irreducible network of biological and cultural influences.
聽(tīng)音樂(lè)時(shí)好像沒(méi)有什么比我們的主觀感覺(jué)更重要的了，這涉及到非常復(fù)雜又不受制約的生物學(xué)和文化的網(wǎng)狀影響。

Especially today, with nearly unlimited access to all genres and styles of music, we use music as a tool for regulating or maintaining our emotions, and our moods.
尤其是現(xiàn)在，我們幾乎不受任何限制，能接觸到所有音樂(lè)流派和風(fēng)格，我們把音樂(lè)作為一種管理或維持情緒和心情的工具。

This is why when you want to study you might reach for something unobtrusive, without words. Or when you’re trying to relax before bed you’ll probably listen to something calm. All of these point to the fantastic flexibility of music in our lives.
這就是為什么在你想學(xué)習(xí)時(shí)會(huì)選擇不耗費(fèi)精力的沒(méi)有歌詞的音樂(lè)，或者睡前想要放松時(shí)會(huì)聽(tīng)安靜的音樂(lè)。

But deep down it’s all about what the music does to you, how it affects you emotionally, bodily and cognitively.
這都是因?yàn)槲覀兩钪心軐?duì)音樂(lè)靈活選擇，但歸根結(jié)底是看音樂(lè)對(duì)你做了什么，它是如何影響你的情緒、身體和認(rèn)知的。

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（翻譯：菲菲）