Music Choice Reveals Your Personality

Reuters

[meow]

"Music Choice Reveals Your Personality"

The next time you go to a party and want to hook up with someone new, ask this question to find just the right person: What kind of music do you like? Turns out, the music a person likes also reveals fun facts about his or her personality, according to new research from the University of Texas at Austin.

If you like blues, jazz, classical, or folk music... ...then you are intelligent, tolerant, and politically liberal.

If you like country or religious music... ...then you are cheerful, outgoing, reliable, and conventional.

If you like alternative or heavy metal music... ...then you are physically active and a curious risk-taker.

If you like rap/hip-hop or and dance music... ...then you are outgoing and agreeable and generally eschew conservative ideals.

Memorize this list. When you ask that cute stranger what kind of music he or she likes, you'll know if the two of you will hit it off. "It assumes that knowing the answer tells you something about who they are" and whether or not to pursue a relationship, Dr. Peter J. Rentfrow, a psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin and the lead study author, told Reuters. Along with Dr. Samuel D. Gosling, Rentfrow conducted six studies on over 3,500 students examining their music preferences, beliefs about music, self-perceptions, and cognitive abilities.

Don't look now, but advertisers can also use the same psychology. Fitting just the right music with just the right product for just the right demographics could make sales soar. "We might come up with typologies comprised of music preferences, socioeconomic status, and age," Rentfrow predicted to Reuters. He says there is very little research to date on music preferences and personalities because many consider it mundane. But Rentfrow doesn't agree. His findings suggest mthat personality, self-perception, and cognitive ability each play a role in the "formation and maintenance of music preferences."

[meow]

the university conducted a study to come up with this? our biased media could have told them all they wanted.

[r9etb]

From what I can tell, if you like music, you can't be conservative.

What a crock.

[DallasMike]

According to this I'm supposed to be politically liberal. I think not.

[chiefqc]

And if you believe this article, you're dumber than a rock.

[zlala]

When you ask that cute stranger what kind of music he or she likes, you'll know if the two of you will hit it off

My husband and I don't typically like the same kind of music. Guess we'd better divorce. Considering this came from liberal land UT, I'll take it for what it's worth.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

So, people who like Blues music are liberal and people who like country music are conservative...?

Someone should have told this to the late great Republican strategist--and blues musician--Lee Atwater and liberal Ditsy Chick Nathalie Maines.

[Wonder Warthog]

"According to this I'm supposed to be politically liberal. I think not."

Let's see, I like blues, jazz, classical, folk, country and religious music....and my politics are somewhere to the right of Attila the Hun and/or Genghis Khan.

Methinks this "research" is just a tad questionable.

[CanisMajor2002]

UT-Austin needs to make some payroll cuts.

• If you like blues, jazz, classical, or folk music... ...then you are intelligent, tolerant, and politically liberal.
• If you like country or religious music... ...then you are cheerful, outgoing, reliable, and conventional.
• If you like alternative or heavy metal music... ...then you are physically active and a curious risk-taker.
• If you like rap/hip-hop or and dance music... ...then you are outgoing and agreeable and generally eschew conservative ideals.

The qualities aren't even mutually exclusive. If I like J.S. Bach, Rich Mullins, 10-years-ago Metallica (St. Anger bores me, but I digress), and Linkin Park, does that make me an intelligent, conventional, physically active and outgoing person, or am I a outgoing risk-taking liberal? (mutter) This is worthless :)

[tomahawk]

I'm a metal head and a serious right-winger. Balderdash.

[ClearCase_guy]

Isn't this just a step removed from the old, "Oh, you black people can all tap dance, right?"

[dead]

I like polka music and random tapping.

[Sloth]

What a steaming pile.

[willieroe]

Earlier thread from June on this study.

[sphinx]

From what I can tell, if you like music, you can't be conservative.

Well, there's still bagpipes, military bands, opera, and show tunes.

All of which I like, along with classical.

[theFIRMbss]

What does it mean if
once or twice in your life you
bought music like this?

[Skooz]

Nonsense. Nothing gets me going like the Blues (the real Blues, not modern day lounge-lizard "Blues"). But wait, I also love Gospel, CCM and sometimes I like to Rock.

According to the article, I'm a conservative, liberal, tolerant, conventional, risk-taking, intelligent, cheerful, reliable FREAKING SCHIZOID!!!

[camle]

i've never know a heavy metal fan who was "active".

but I don't see Rock and Roll listed here.

the word "Baloney" comes to mind...

[r9etb]

I went to a Devo concert once -- it was great.

[stevio]

Yea right, my wife loved country music and was way liberal when we meet. Now she's gotten into jazz and might be even more conservative than me on some issues.

[WKB]

What if you like the 1960 oldies?
Where does that put you?