Musical taste "defines personality"

[Peguy]

Musical taste "defines personality"

Fri Sep 5, 5:38 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Fans of classical music and jazz are creative, pop lovers are hardworking and, despite the stereotypes, heavy metal listeners are gentle, creative types who are at ease with themselves.

So says Professor Adrian North of Scotland's Heriot-Watt University who has been studying the links between people's personalities and their choice of music.

"People often define their sense of identity through their musical taste, wearing particular clothes, going to certain pubs, and using certain types of slang," North said.

"It's not surprising that personality should also be related to musical preference."


Read the rest here:
Musical taste "defines personality" - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080905/lf_nm_life/britain_music_dc)


I seem to fit the description of the Classical music fan.

[mippus]

Hm, I have doubts about this, I think music often serves as a statussymbol, it reflects (or may reflect) who we want to be, rather than who we are. (just my theory)

[Lithium]

Hm, I have doubts about this, I think music often serves as a statussymbol, it reflects (or may reflect) who we want to be, rather than who we are. (just my theory)

Which is connected to personality, wouldn't you say.

[mippus]

Which is connected to personality, wouldn't you say.

good point :D
However, that would still imply that the relation is not a strong as suggested. Note that social (environmental) pressure might play a great role, beyond type.

[Lateralus]

They're reading way too much into this stuff. What about country music listeners? Hip-hop fans?

The music you hear while growing up has a big influence, and that's not necessarily tied to personality.

[VanillaCat]

Well he's right about me.

[pure_mercury]

They're reading way too much into this stuff. What about country music listeners? Hip-hop fans?

The music you hear while growing up has a big influence, and that's not necessarily tied to personality.

They're listed as "hardworking and shy" and "outgoing," respectively.

[Lateralus]

Haha

indie lovers lack self-esteem and are not very gentle

[Lateralus]

They're listed as "hardworking and shy" and "outgoing," respectively.
Country music listeners are shy? These people must not know the same rednecks I know.

[pure_mercury]

Country music listeners are shy? These people must not know the same rednecks I know.

Yes, that seems strange, but they went all over the world for this study. I would think that people who listen to country music in Philadelphia are not the same as people who listen to country music in Charlotte or Omaha or Winnipeg.

[Brendan]

So I'm creative, hardworking, gentle, creative and at ease with myself.

[Lateralus]

I just don't understand why people perform studies like these. Marketing? That's the only logical reason I can come up with. I see this stuff as pop culture bullshit and it annoys the hell out of me. Don't try to define me by what kind of deodorant I buy...I pick a random bar off the shelf for fuck's sake.

[pure_mercury]

I just don't understand why people perform studies like these. Marketing? That's the only logical reason I can come up with. I see this stuff as pop culture bullshit and it annoys the hell out of me. Don't try to define me by what kind of deodorant I buy...I pick a random bar off the shelf for fuck's sake.

That in and of itself says something about you, and it's information they use. I don't mind it. I actually take the marketing calls over the phone, because I'm happy to have my tastes represented more in the marketplace.

[Jeffster]

BOATS N HOES :headphne:

[pure_mercury]

I am alone, in a dark room, on a rainy afternoon. I am listening to Cocteau Twins. What does that say about me? :headphne:

[SaltyWench]

Country music listeners are shy? These people must not know the same rednecks I know.

Maybe under all that whiskey they're a shy, pensive lot. Hence the need for the whiskey, of course.

On a more serious note, perhaps that's why they stereotypically own so many dogs. Gives them someone to talk to when their woman leaves them for the umpteenth time.

[Lateralus]

I am alone, in a dark room, on a rainy afternoon. I am listening to Cocteau Twins. What does that say about me? :headphne:
Well, I'll be driving down the highway listening to some indie music in about an hour. What does that say about me? Analyze me!!

[pure_mercury]

Well, I'll be driving down the highway listening to some indie music in about an hour. What does that say about me? Analyze me!!

You lack self-esteem, you're not very gentle, and you don't care about the environment. :D

[Peguy]

Don't try to define me by what kind of deodorant I buy...I pick a random bar off the shelf for fuck's sake.

I never in a million would expect you to say something like this, Mr. Capitalism is Nature. ;)

[Maverick]

I listen to heavy metal, which means I'm gentle and creative.

I knew it! Everybody saying I must be of an aggressive type to listen to this kind of music. I told them I was a nice guy, really... :yes:

[CaptainChick]

*speechless*

[tinkerbell]

My boss has been reading up on creativity, and one of thr strongest indicators of creatvity is the depth of the range of musical taste.

The wider and more varied the more likely you are to be a creative person.

L

[heart]

I like classical and rock equally well. I like a lot of different music equally well.

[murkrow]

WTF is "alternative"

and "gothic metal"

?!

[murkrow]

wait...

NO RESULTS?!

SURVEY?!

DOH!

[FDG]

Yay, I am of the higher earning bracket!

[mlittrell]

wow just wow

what a load

[Spartacuss]

I just don't understand why people perform studies like these. Marketing? That's the only logical reason I can come up with. I see this stuff as pop culture bullshit and it annoys the hell out of me. Don't try to define me by what kind of deodorant I buy...I pick a random bar off the shelf for fuck's sake.

Yup. That it is. Every time people come out with their half-baked, tenuously scientific studies I have to suppress a cynical chuckle.

[Kanamori]

More people should try to throw the results of surveys.:wubbie:

[Noel]

"One of the most surprising things is the similarities between fans of classical music and heavy metal. They're both creative and at ease but not outgoing."

Spot on.

[Thursday]

Hm, I have doubts about this, I think music often serves as a statussymbol, it reflects (or may reflect) who we want to be, rather than who we are. (just my theory)

isn't the 4th and the 3rd functions our actual personality, and the 1st and 2nd how we go about manifesting it ?

at least thats what i've heard

[GZA]

This is a response I wrote at a different forum, I don't feel like rewriting my opinion:

Part of the issue with this is that it's impossible to define the genres. What is rap? What is country? What is rock? What is jazz?

For example, NWA may be angry rap, but Will Smith or Black Star is not, Black Star falls more in line with the sociable, innovative description given to jazz.

Swing jazz is a lot different from bebop or cool jazz.

Mettalica is different from Black Sabbath.

The Beatles are different from Rage Against the Machine, ect.

Indie music could be almost anything...

And people may even argue that some bands arn't of that genre (i.e. some people consider Led Zeppelin metal, wile others do not.) I read some of a book about music and music genres and it pointed this out. Does each genre have a prototype that fans of the genre can agree on, and if so, how much can a song differ from that prototype and still be the same genre? If Sing Sing Sing is a prototypical jazz song, is John Coltrane jazz? (which was actually debated when he came out, by the way).

And as I mentioned before, what if you listen to all those genres, like myself? I would say the soul music lover's description describes me most, but soul isn't my favourite genre.

So while I did find the study interesting (hence posting it) it's still mostly B.S. due to crappy methodology and vague definitions.

[substitute]

and I guess it's perfectly in keeping with both the article and MBTI, that I like literally ALL types of music... in my car I have homemade CD's and on one of them could be everything from obscure Arabic folk music to Noel Coward, Janis Joplin, Deep Purple, Ella Fitzgerald, U2, Madonna, A Perfect Circle, Slayer, a Chopin piano etude...

Ne eh? :rolleyes:

[Uberfuhrer]

Well, I do indeed like classical music and some opera -- I'm also going to guess that film soundtracks are considered classical music. I don't mind metal. I absolutely hate jazz and country. Pop, rap, and soul are just dumb.

The study didn't say anything about people who like William Shatner music.