This is a PhD research project based at the Centre for Psychological Research at Oxford Brookes University, investigating the role of music across the adult lifespan.

This project aims to:

• To examine how the importance of music, time spent listening to music, music preferences, and reasons for listening vary across the adult lifespan.

• To investigate whether music consumption is predicted by identity, emotional intelligence, and life roles.

• To experimentally examine whether listening to a favourite song affects identity-related thoughts and mood.

• To investigate nostalgia as a potential moderator underlying the effects of favourite songs on identity and mood measures.

• To extend these findings to a clinical population by examining the effects of favourite songs on identity-related thoughts and mood in adults with a brain injury compared with healthy comparison participants.