Musical taste ‘offers insights into deeper psychology’

A University of Cambridge study has provided evidence that a person's musical tastes can communicate deeper insights into their overall psychology.

The team looked at the influence of cognitive style on musical choices, measured by looking at whether an individual scores highly on empathy, systemising or a balance of both.

Multiple studies were conducted with more than 4,000 participants, who were given psychology-based questionnaires, before being asked to listen to and rate 50 musical pieces spanning 26 genres and subgenres.

People who scored high on empathy tended to prefer mellow, unpretentious music and contemporary music, and disliked intense music, while those who scored high on systemising demonstrated the opposite pattern.

More in-depth results indicated that those who scored high on empathy preferred music that had low energy, negative emotions or emotional depth, with systemisers opting for high-energy pieces with positive emotions and a high degree of cerebral depth and complexity.

Dr Jason Rentfrow, the senior author on the study says: "This line of research highlights how music is a mirror of the self. Music is an expression of who we are emotionally, socially and cognitively."

It is also likely that these insights will make it easier to understand those at the extremes, such as people with autism, who are strong systemisers.