Why do our listening habits change in January each year and what are the reasons for the changes?

• January playlists often shift towards soothing and reflective music after the festive frenzy.
• Studies reveal our music preferences are influenced by the darker, colder months.
• Spotify data shows increased streams for acoustic and chill playlists during the start of the year.

With the thawing taking place after a particularly cold snap over the Christmas and New Year break, many are already hitting the gym for their new year’s resolution.

But what to put on the playlist this early in the year? We’re still in the midst of Winter, and all throughout December we’ve been subjected to Christmas music, for better or for worse, which as it turns out helps retailers when it comes to the annual shopping rush.

But so close to December, do our listening tastes change? There is an argument of course that given we still remain in the colder months that perhaps no, we tend to stick with what we’ve been listening to since December - sans the Christmas jingles.

But there is also the argument that a new year offers new resolutions (hence hitting the gym), new opportunities and a fresh start for self improvement. So, do our listening habits generally change at the turn of a new year, or are we still making the most of our pre-Christmas playlists?

Do our listening habits change in January each year?

Much like how our tastes change during the shortest day of the year, January also brings about a much needed change to our playlists, according to a study conducted in 2019 that was published by Nature Human Behaviour.

The study, titled Global music streaming data reveal diurnal and seasonal patterns of affective preference, analysed 765 million streams across 51 countries and found that music preferences are highly seasonal - with relaxing music dominant during darker, colder months, particularly in January.

Another study published in Psychological Science in 2018 also found that as colder temperatures can impact mood, often leading to feelings of melancholy or introspection that people listen to slower-tempo, more minor-key music in winter, reflecting their lower energy and more subdued mood.

Terry Pettijohn’s research on seasonal music preferences also lends its strength to that argument, stating that the post-holiday period can lead to physical and emotional fatigue, leading listeners to enjoy less energetic and more relaxing tracks to start the year off with.

Which is ever more evident when Spotify revealed as part of their Ad Insights wrap in 2022 that users of the platform were more likely to seek soothing or introspective genres, such as acoustic, classical, or lo-fi music, as they reflect on the past year and set intentions for the new one.

Spotify also observed consistent patterns where "mood-based" playlists like "Relax & Unwind" and "Chill Hits" see increased streams in January.

So while some of you out there might be kicking off 2025 at a hi-energy sprint, for the most part many are still just easing into the new year until the nights get lighter and our music tastes no doubt change once again.

Has your playlist changed since December or are you still enjoying some of last month’s new releases? Let us know if your music tastes change over the seasons by leaving a comment down below.