What does it actually say about you if you like big pop hits, or prefer to unwind with some bass-heavy dance numbers or heavy metal?
Probably not what you expect.
Multiple scientific studies have examined the personality traits associated with different music genres, and come up with some unexpected facts, such as the fact that psychopaths are most likely to enjoy Blackstreet’s No Diggity.
If you like popular, hit music, you’re more likely to be an agreeable person.
Meanwhile, people who listen to extreme heavy metal about violence will actually stop being violent themselves (and in fact just find ‘joy’ in the music).
And if you like exaggerated bass in music, this could be bad news.
Listening to Eminem Could Mean You’re a Psychopath (YouTube)
We listen to music from people like us
When we choose music, we often choose music from people we think are similar to us, a 2020 study found.
For example, fans of David Bowie are drawn to him for his slight strangeness and neuroticism, and fans of Radiohead are drawn to the band for their ‘open’, experimental nature.
People who listen to David Bowie resemble his public image (and neurotic)
The survey, based on 80,000 fans and 50 famous musicians, asked fans to provide personality ratings for each artist’s public persona – and found that people are naturally drawn to artists who are similar to themselves.
So fans of Marvin Gaye tend to be likable, like the musician’s public persona, while fans of Ozzy Osbourne are more likely to be unpleasant and “obnoxious,” the researchers say.
Dr. David Greenbeg from Bar-Ilan University said: ‘In today’s world, where social divisions are increasing, our research shows us how music can be a common denominator to bring people together.’
Fans of Ozzy Osbourne are often ‘obnoxious’ and rebellious, the study shows
Study co-author Dr Sandra Matz, from Columbia Business School, said: ‘The findings could pave the way for new approaches for record labels or music management to reach and build audiences.’
Do you like big bass, and you can’t lie?
Big basslines are an inevitable feature of modern music, but you might be surprised what a love of basslines says about your personality.
A 1997 study in the journal Personality and Individual Differences found that men are more likely than women to enjoy music with “exaggerated” bass.
This also applies to extroverts – and also to people who are psychotic.
Bass-heavy songs like Still DRE by Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre can be associated with being psychotic
The researchers, led by William McCown, wrote: ‘Personality was measured with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire.
The results showed that psychoticism, gender and extraversion are all positively related to preference for enhanced bass.
Music to be murdered by?
Real-life psychopaths aren’t like classical music-loving Hannibal Lecter – and are more likely to enjoy retro rap, a study has found.
No Diggity and Eminem’s Lose Yourself were rated by people with the highest psychopathy scores in a 2017 study.
The least psychopathic people enjoyed Sia’s Titanium and My Sharona by The Knack.
The least psychopathic people enjoyed Sia’s Titanium
The research was part of a preliminary unpublished 2017 New York University study that hoped to find a way to identify psychopaths without their consent – and focused on 260 songs and 200 volunteers who had also taken a psychopathy test themselves .
Study leader Pascal Wallisch said in 2017: ‘The media portrays psychopaths as ax murderers and serial killers, but the reality is that they are not obvious; they’re not like The Joker in Batman.
‘Maybe they work right next to you, blending in with your surroundings. They are like psychological dark matter.
‘You don’t want these people in positions where they can do a lot of damage. We need a tool to identify them without their cooperation or consent.”
Empathetic people prefer calm music
A 2015 study by musician and researcher Dr. David Greenberg – who has conducted several studies on music preferences, but also performs as a jazz musician – showed that the way we think is strongly linked to music taste.
The research with volunteers showed that there was a big gap between empathetic people and ‘systematizers’ who think of things in a more machine way.
Soft music (such as Marvin Gaye) appeals to more empathetic people
The study found that people who are more empathetic prefer quiet music – R&B, soul, soft rock.
People who are more systematized (i.e. less emotional) prefer intense music, including punk, heavy metal and hard rock.
Violent music doesn’t mean you’re violent
Listening to violent music like extreme heavy metal doesn’t mean people are violent – instead, it’s a nerdy hobby, like reenacting fights.
One study played a particularly gruesome song to listeners and then tested how desensitized they were to violence — and then compared the results to what happened when they listened to Pharrell Williams’ “Happy.”
Researchers compared violent songs to Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy’
Viewers were shown violence-related images to see if they had been desensitized by the song Eaten by Blood Bath, which revolves around a real-life case in which a man killed and ate a volunteer victim in Germany in 2001.
The researchers found no evidence that the music desensitized listeners.
Prof Bill Thompson from Australian University said: ‘The fans are lovely people. They don’t go out there and hurt anyone.”
‘The dominant emotional response to this music is joy and empowerment. And I think it’s amazing to listen to this music and turn it into a powerful, beautiful experience.”