What does your music taste say about you?

Nothing is quite like hearing your favorite song after a long, and I mean long day! Last Thursday, I was happy to be home finally after 8 long hours at the office, then about an hour coming back home during which I broke my heel and the cold wind blew my scarf away. Not my best day, to be honest. But then something in my old-fashioned soul made me turn on the radio and I heard ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac a.k.a one of my all-time favorite jams.

I still remember when this legendary song heard it for the first time. It made me so nostalgic for an era I wasn’t even born in. But hey, there is a reason people try to find ways to escape their reality. For me, it was dreaming of the good old 70s that made me love this song so much. The hair, the fashion, the aesthetic and, of course, the music!

Hearing the song on the radio really made me feel a lot better. It was like a hug from an old friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. Only in this case the old friend was the radio DJ who plays classic hits from somewhere in the world. I don’t know who that DJ is but I do know that he played just the song I needed to fix my terrible mood.

What I used to listen to back in the day… and now

If I could only show you all the posters I had in my bedroom as a teenager! The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Supertramp were part of my everyday life. But even today I love listening to these bands. I do enjoy other genres of music as well, especially 2000s pop punk and during the past couple of years I’ve also grown to love R&B. Still, I can’t deny that classic rock will be in my heart forever.

But songs don’t work in the same way for everyone, of course. I’ve always been a fan of 70s rock but my sister used to fall asleep when I played my music. She, on the other hand, loves hip hop. Actually when I thought about it more carefully I realized I don’t think we’ve ever liked the same things at all growing up. We’ve quite different personality traits, too. She’s always been much more outgoing and social, always surrounded by her many friends while I’ve always preferred staying in my room reading or watching movies.

All of this got me thinking about types of music and the people that listen to them. They must have something in common, right? Right! Numerous studies have been researching the link between music genres and certain personality traits. What has been found is that people who prefer a specific type of music over others often share the same qualities.

So I did some research…

… and learned a thing or two about what your music taste says about you because. I just figured that you might be as curious as I was. This doesn’t mean of course that people who listen to a certain type of music share necessarily these traits or that they don’t have others. These are just some general observations. Here is a quick summary of what I discovered:

Pop music

According to research if you listen to pop music you are most likely extroverted, social and conventional. Your personality pops out and you have a high self-esteem. Those of you who enjoy chart-topping songs are typically also handling well a period of hard work and you might use happy hits to brighten your mood. However, creativity might not be your strong side and you tend to worry a lot. Just listen to your favorite pop track and remember that everything is going to be okay.

Hip hop and rap

Just like pop-music-listeners hip hop and rap fans among you are generally extroverted and enjoy a night out partying and socializing. Outgoing, down-to-earth and with a high self-esteem, you give out lively and dynamic energy. You love sharing their music and dancing with others: basically, making music a social phenomenon. Quite different than the prejudice a lot of people have towards hip hop and rap fans and explains why we all have someone in our friend group who listens to Drake or Lil Wayne!

Country music

Ah, good old country music! Here, it turns out that the cliches might be true because country music fans are typically hard-working, extroverted, outgoing and conservative when it comes to politics. At the same time they give the impression that they are not very keen on listening to other genres of music and on trying new experiences in general.

Classical rock

Studies show that if you enjoy listening to rock music chances are you are a relaxed, hard-working person who has a taste for nostalgic themes and elements. But you might be quite selfish compared to other music fans. You also use music to make your mood better as you often associate songs with emotional memories.

Heavy metal

Heavy metal fans have a lot in common with rock fans but they also have some personality traits typical for themselves in particular. They are usually very introverted, creative and intuitive. Studies show that they are the most gentle among all music fans. They are also reflective and enjoy music as they see it as a big theatrical experience. It just goes to show that everyone should forget all prejudice and stereotypes as metal fans are often seen as aggressive.

Jazz

If you listen to jazz music, you probably have a high opinion of yourself. I’m just kidding! This is just my impression because the people who I know and like jazz are very smart and know it. But, according to research you do have a high self-esteem. You are also reflective, intelligent and creative. So, you’ should be quite good at intellectual activities and conversations about important topics. Not bad at all, jazz fans!

Dance music

Have I seen you at a festival somewhere? If I caught your attention, you must like dance music. Dance music fans are one more category full of of outgoing social people. You love spending time with other people and are open to new experiences and adventures. However, you might not be the most gentle person around. This may or may not have been witnessed during music festivals.

Classical music

Classical music is the right music for people who are smart, reflective, creative and love complex and interesting things. They also have high self-esteem (I’m starting to think most people have high self-esteem, regardless of their favorite music) and are often introverted. They tend to be intuitive similarly to metal fans. You might actually have more in common than you think. If you love classical music, do you have heavy metal fans as friends?

Indie rock

Going back to rock music, it seems that indie rock fans can often be lazy, passive and less hard-working. They are also more anxious than other people. But enough with the negative personality traits for indie rock fans. They tend to be very creative and intellectual and open to new experiences. So, quite an interesting type of personality!

What I learned from this…

Music unites all people, don’t you think? Listening to different songs through the years is something we all have in common. And then liking different genres separates and unites us at the same time.

I wonder if you recognize yourself and your own personality traits in the descriptions above. I know they are very general, but I can definitely see how they could be true. For example, rock and metal fans at my school really were very polite and introverted. And as I mentioned my sister was always very outgoing. Some of the most hard-working people I know love country music.

But you know what? It’s great that we all love different music and have various personality traits. I actually find music a great conversation starter, so it’s nice to have people around you who have a music taste that’s not the same as yours.

Still, imagine how hard it is to be a good DJ in this day and age… in a crowded room full of people who like different music. I don’t know about you but I would probably count on playing some ABBA songs: they never fail to get everyone dancing.

And you? What kind of music do you listen to?