<p>The phenomenom you describe is called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mere-exposure_effect" rel="noreferrer">Mere-exposure effect</a> :</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The mere-exposure effect is a psychological phenomenon by which people
tend to develop a preference for things merely because they are
familiar with them. In social psychology, this effect is sometimes
called the familiarity principle. The effect has been demonstrated
with many kinds of things, including words, Chinese characters,
paintings, pictures of faces, geometric figures, and <strong>sounds</strong>.</p>
<p>The mere-exposure effect has been explained by a two-factor theory
that posits that <strong>repeated exposure</strong> of a stimulus <strong>increases perceptual
fluency</strong> which is the ease with which a stimulus can be processed.
Perceptual fluency, in turn, <strong>increases positive affect</strong>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The perceptual fluency is explained in detail by the <a href="http://bora.uib.no/bitstream/handle/1956/594/BORA_PSPR04.pdf;jsessionid=A4A34885BE4723CE42825B3C240B4535.bora-uib_worker?sequence%253D1" rel="noreferrer">article</a> in @mrt comment.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-23T07:37:17.630Z
2017-08-23T07:37:17.630Z
2020-06-17T09:55:31.633Z
DesignerAnalyst
<p>It happens in the case of some songs that they don't strike as extremely good the first time one listens to them but after listening to them a few more times, one suddenly starts loving them. What difference does the re-listening do?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-22T23:41:59.120Z
[Relevant paper](http://bora.uib.no/bitstream/handle/1956/594/BORA_PSPR04.pdf;jsessionid=A4A34885BE4723CE42825B3C240B4535.bora-uib_worker?sequence%253D1)
mrt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-23T07:45:32.737Z
Related (dupe?): [Psychology behind repeated viewing of certain pictures and songs](https://cogsci.stackexchange.com/q/5068/21) (Although not a particularly good question, nor answer.)
Steven Jeuris
<cognitive-psychology><music>
Why do we come to like some songs after re-listening to them a few times?
ACat
# Why do we come to like some songs after re-listening to them a few times?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-08-22)

It happens in the case of some songs that they don't strike as extremely good the first time one listens to them but after listening to them a few more times, one suddenly starts loving them. What difference does the re-listening do?

**Tags:** cognitive-psychology, music

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: [Relevant paper](http://bora.uib.no/bitstream/handle/1956/594/BORA_PSPR04.pdf;jsessionid=A4A34885BE4723CE42825B3C240B4535.bora-uib_worker?sequence%253D1)  
> **username_2**: Related (dupe?): [Psychology behind repeated viewing of certain pictures and songs](https://cogsci.stackexchange.com/q/5068/21) (Although not a particularly good question, nor answer.)  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-08-23. Score: 5

The phenomenom you describe is called [Mere-exposure effect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mere-exposure_effect) :

> The mere-exposure effect is a psychological phenomenon by which people
> tend to develop a preference for things merely because they are
> familiar with them. In social psychology, this effect is sometimes
> called the familiarity principle. The effect has been demonstrated
> with many kinds of things, including words, Chinese characters,
> paintings, pictures of faces, geometric figures, and **sounds**.
>
> The mere-exposure effect has been explained by a two-factor theory
> that posits that **repeated exposure** of a stimulus **increases perceptual
> fluency** which is the ease with which a stimulus can be processed.
> Perceptual fluency, in turn, **increases positive affect**.

The perceptual fluency is explained in detail by the [article](http://bora.uib.no/bitstream/handle/1956/594/BORA_PSPR04.pdf;jsessionid=A4A34885BE4723CE42825B3C240B4535.bora-uib_worker?sequence%253D1) in @username_1 comment.


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