Metalheads and other genre listeners studied in new report claiming there is a connection between our personalities and the type of music we listen to
The research was carried out by Very Well Mind, who tested over 36,000 participants worldwide. The group was asked to rate over 104 different musical styles and to also fill out a questionnaire relating to the ‘Big 5’ personality traits, being extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness and neuroticism.
The results of the massive study seemed to show a very strong link between an individual’s psyche and their musical preferences.
The information collected on fans of heavy metal and rock music states that “rock and heavy metal often project images of anger, bravado, and aggression”, yet makes note that the aggressive style of the music doesn’t mean those that listen are the same way. Quite the opposite was actually discovered, as rock and heavy metal listeners were found to be “gentle”, “creative” and “introverted” with “low self-esteem”.
As a comparison, pop music listeners were found to exude “high-self-esteem” and have “extraverted” personalities along with being “honest”, “conventional” and having “hard-working” traits.
“People can make accurate judgments about an individual’s levels of extraversion, creativity, and open-mindedness after listening to 10 of their favourite songs” states the results of the study.
The study adds: “The next time you’re putting together a playlist for your commute or workout, consider how your personality might be reflected in your song choices.
“Try listening to styles of music that you don’t normally prefer; research suggests that this can have a lasting positive impact on the brain”.
The results are all fine and dandy but we think we’ll just stick with our preferred genre of eardrum-splitting metal in all it’s glorious forms.
You can check out the full study for yourself at this location.
