What do music interests say about your personality?

It turns out that different people will be able to perceive music at different angles and it depends on their personality. That is the latest conclusion of the scientists that explain the difference in each person's musical preferences, thereby predicting the characteristics of personality, habits, behavior, . and even giving music therapy for their health problems.

Music interests reveal each person's personality

Music still has many mysterious dark corners for scientists with a series of questions such as why some songs make us shed tears when listening while others help us to be happy and dance? Why does music make people vibrate? And why do some people seem capable of playing music but others have difficulties? Science began to study and pointed out that not everyone's difference in playing ability is random and partly due to their personality.

3 groups of people listening to music

A study by psychologist David Greenberg and colleagues at Cambridge University showed that each person's musical preferences are closely linked to three types of thinking: type E, Type S and Type B. Type empathetic people Empathisers (Type E) are people who have a strong interest in thoughts and emotions. The type of person who has a Systemisers (Type S) system has a strong interest in models, systems and rules covering the world. And the rest, which has a balance between system organization and empathy, is classified as Balanced balance (Type B).

Research over the past 10 years, scientists have demonstrated that 95% of people can be classified into one of the above three groups and since then, people can pretty much predict their behavior. For example, they can predict things like people learn math, science or sociology schools. This is the first time a link has been found between musical preferences and other human information.

To understand this phenomenon, scientists have conducted many studies with more than 4,000 volunteers. In it, the group proceeded to collect data on the volunteers' thinking patterns, then asked them to listen and point out their preferences among the 50 musical excerpts representing a variety of music genres. Through research, the team found that people of type E would prefer soft music with low energy, sad and emotional emotions that are typically R&B, soft rock and singer-songwriter genre. Some examples may be mentioned as Come Away With Me by Norah Jones or Jeff Buckley with Hallelujah.

On the other hand, people of Type S group often love intense songs , typically hard rock, punk and heavy metal. At the same time, they were interested in intricate and complex music, typically classical avant-garde. An example for this group is Alexander Scriabin's Etude opus 65 no 3. Finally, group B people have a wider spectrum of music listening than the other two groups.

Predicting musical ability, treating diseases with music

Each person's personality can be used to predict their musical ability.

At the same time, the researchers discovered the opposite direction, meaning that each person's individual characteristics could be used to predict their musical ability , and this is true no matter what instrument they play. That or not. During the study, Dr. Greenberg's team collaborated with BBC Lab, UK to call more than 7,000 volunteers and first, they were classified according to 5 personality characteristics: open, upright. , outward, cute and stable thinking / emotion. On the other hand, the team also asked volunteers to conduct a number of tests to assess musical ability, including memorizing melodies and stating rhythm.

The results show that people who are open-minded are able to perceive music in the most subtle way. People with high scores in openness are often imaginative, have many interests, often opening up their ways of thinking and changing their environment. A group of people who are less open, tend to improve their habits or familiarity, often care about patterns and conventions. At the same time, extroverts are characterized by assertiveness, talking much and seeking excitement that will be able to sing more than others. More specifically, these characteristics are true for those who do not know how to play music and that shows, there are some who have the potential to play good music but they do not know about it.

By identifying a two-way correlation between listening interests, playing ability and personality characteristics, scientists have opened up a new approach to education so that children can develop a more appropriate and comprehensive way. On the other hand, this is also the basis for proposing music therapy therapies to treat diseases, especially psychological problems.