Have you ever asked someone the type of music they listen to and involuntarily made assumptions of what kind of person they may be? It’s completely fine if you have.

According to music psychology, an individual’s personality does affect their taste in music but it’s not in as straightforward a manner as you may think…

Music Psychology

Professor Adrian North from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, took it upon himself to investigate how personality types and music preferences may be related.

The professor is an expert on the subject has conducted extensive research on the field of music psychology. He was particularly interested in finding out whether pop culture played a role in eliciting deviant behavior amongst teenagers and the relationship between music and consumer behavior.

After being intrigued by why people are drawn to specific kinds of music, he decided to investigate the matter over the course of three years. He gathered 36,000 participants from over 60 countries and asked them to rate a wide range of music genres. He also used questionnaires to measure aspects of their personality.

The results were as follows:

  • Soul/Blues/Jazz fans:These guys are typical extroverts. They have high self-esteem and are generally easy – going people.
  • Classical fans:Classical fans also have high self-esteem; however, they tend to me more introverted.
  • Rap fans:Fans of rap have great self-esteem and confidence in their abilities.
  • Opera fans:Opera fans are gentle souls with high-esteem and outgoing personalities.
  • Reggae fans:Fans of Reggae are outgoing and creative; however, they aren’t the most hard-working.
  • Dance music fans:Fans of dance music are creative, with outgoing personalities and a gentle demure.
  • Indie fans:Fans of Indie music struggle with self-esteem and are not hardworking.
  • Rock & Heavy Metal fans:These guys have low self-esteem. They are creative but they aren’t known for their hard work. Contrary to what people presume these guys have gentle personalities.
  • Pop music fans:Fans of pop music are easy-going people that aren’t very creative. They have outgoing personalities and they tend to work hard.

According to the professor, people do define themselves through music. They wear certain kinds of clothes, hang out in specific areas and use particular slang words. Ultimately, music has a heavy impact on people’s outlook on life.

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