Can Our Musical Tastes Define Us As People?

Although we cannot pigeonhole someone for the music they listen to, the truth is that, depending on the style we choose, our personality could be one way or another. This is suggested by various studies that have analyzed the relationship between the way of thinking of each individual and their musical tastes.

However, it is a mistake to judge someone on this factor alone. By linking musical style with personality we can also fall into clichés and inaccuracies. In this article we will tell you how our musical tastes can define us as people.

We are what we listen to

No one can deny that music accompanies us in every moment of our lives. Both in happy and sad situations, if we are alone or accompanied, or if we want to celebrate or cast off our pain.

Through musical choices we can know many characteristics of a person. For example, your political preferences, your age, your place of residence, etc. It also allows you to know their personality traits. Music expresses, albeit partially, who we are.

However, to understand each other 100%, we need more information than the last songs heard in a playlist or in the history of videos on the internet. If we took a group of 100 million people, there would not be two individuals with identical musical tastes. The same is true of our DNA, our fingerprints, and our personality.

Because the emotional connection with music is indisputable, another of the data that the analysis of the favorite songs can give us is our state of mind. It will also depend on a particular situation or moment. It is not the same to put a soundtrack to a party than to a rainy afternoon.

The power of music on our emotions

The evolution of music has a strong tradition from the first communities and civilizations. The man transformed music into a language, but he did not stop using it for all kinds of situations. For this reason, it is present in all cultures and we listen to it since we are born (or even from our mother’s womb).

Our brain collects the information offered in music and turns it into a memory or feeling. It may be that, when listening to a particular topic, we remember a pleasant experience from the past or we evoke the person we love. When we sing or hear a piece of music, our neurons make a series of unique connections.

The same song does not provoke the same feelings in everyone, because each particular case includes specific experiences or memories. Perhaps the lyrics of a song you just heard on the radio reminds you of your ex-partner, while someone on the other side of the planet makes you think of a beautiful friendship story.

Tell me your musical tastes and I’ll tell you who you are

Psychologists from the University of Cambridge have conducted a study using data collected in a survey carried out on 2,532 volunteers. The study confirms that musical predilection is determined by personality traits.

Perhaps the descriptions of each musical genre are a bit generalized or, even styles are missing. However, it is also worth taking a look at the definitions related to personality according to what each one hears.

Keep in mind that you cannot know a person just by focusing on their musical tastes, but perhaps it can give you a close idea on certain aspects.

Rock and alternative

Although there are many subgenres of rock, we could say that they have something in common: they like to break the rules.

• They are daring, not at all conventional and seek to give a message that awakens the other.
• Lovers of this type of music are very intense, rebellious and curious.

• We can also associate rock with rebellion, impulsiveness and living without caring about tomorrow.
• They are also usually introverted and friendly.

Hip hop and electronics

These are musical genres with very fast and entertaining rhythms.

• The people who choose them are usually funny, lively and hyperactive.
• They also love to talk fast, say what they feel openly and try to convince the other of their ideas.
• In this group we could also include funk lovers, who are outgoing, athletic, and energetic. All of them can be somewhat liberal, clueless and open with others.

Blues and jazz

• Two very calm and relaxed musical styles that are usually chosen by creative people, with high self-esteem and very homey.

• They are also perfect for those who love pleasant, uncrowded and thought-provoking spaces.
• Blues and jazz fans are very romantic, somewhat melancholic, and above all intelligent.
• They are also people with an “open mind”, great speech skills, resourceful and imaginative.

Pop and country

• These genres focus their attention on positive emotions: love, fun, laughter, or socializing.
• Therefore, those who listen to both styles are people who love to be around people, go to parties, invite friends over to home, etc. That is to say, 100% extroverted and who enjoy the company.

Classical and folk

• They have a complex personality, because they are more open to new experiences and changes in tones, rhythms and instruments.

• In addition, they are people with good verbal skills, emotional stability, tolerance and tranquility.
• They tend to be somewhat liberal and seek in music a bit of creativity or inner peace.

And you, do you feel identified with this classification? Regardless of musical tastes, each person has a unique identity that is supported by other factors such as experiences or their environment.