music maketh the man (and woman) part 2

Last month, I wrote about Dr Felicity Baker's research linking musical tastes with the mental heath of teenagers.

Professor Adrian North from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh has found that there is a strong link between musical tastes with personality. From the media release on his research

Listening to Latino or bopping along to some Indie Rock in your spare time, may say more about you than the student gap year you spent in South America or the long summers spent singing along at rain soaked festivals.

A researcher from Heriot-Watt University has found that strong personality attributes are linked to our choices in music, with classical lovers more likely to have strong self-esteem and creative tendencies and dance fans being outgoing without being very gentle.

Prof Adrian North, who conducted the study, said the findings were very revealing and that our musical tastes can be seen as a direct reflection of our characters. “Researchers have been showing for decades that fans or rock and rap are rebellious, and that fans of opera are wealthy and well-educated, but this is the first time that research has shown that personality links to liking for a wide range of musical styles. We asked people to rate how much they liked 104 musical styles, before then completing a personality test. 36518 people from all around the world took part, and the research is by far the largest study of musical preference and personality ever undertaken.”

“Jazz and classical music fans are creative and have good self-esteem, but the former are much more outgoing whereas the latter are shy. Country and western fans are hardworking and shy, whereas rap fans are outgoing. Indie fans lack self-esteem, and aren’t terribly gentle people, but are at least creative. Contrary to the stereotype, heavy metal fans are gentle and at ease with themselves”

“People often define their sense of identity through their musical taste, wearing particular clothes, going to certain pubs, and using certain types of slang. It’s not so surprising that personality should also be related to musical preference.”

The researchers also found that your personality and lifestyle said a lot about the kind of emotional reactions to music that you have. If listeners preferred exciting, punchy music they were more likely to be on a higher earning bracket with those opting for relaxing sounds more inclined to be lower down the pay scale.

Prof North is continuing his research, and needs as many people as possible from anywhere in the world to visit www.peopleintomusic.com, where they will be asked to spend five minutes completing a short questionnaire.

Prof North’s new book, The Social and Applied Psychology of Music, was published earlier this year by Oxford University Press.

Notes to Editors:

Adrian North is Professor of Psychology and head of the Department of Applied Psychology at Heriot Watt University, situated in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0)131 451 8239 / +44 (0)7811 121950. Email: a.north@hw.ac.uk. Web: http://www.psychology.hw.ac.uk/staff.php

I don't know if the North study takes into account people with diverse tastes in music. I like indie (lack self-esteem) AND classical (good self-esteem).

Adrian North (applied psychology) should really be talking to Felicity Baker (music therapy).

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Thank goodness for Friday and the work week is over.