Music Tastes Can Affect Your Personality? by Tara Benner

Rap, Hip-hop, Blues, Gospel, Country, Rock, Alternative, Punk, Emo, Heavy Metal, Oldies, Techno, Screamo…. Everyone has different tastes in music. Some love country, but hate rap. Others love rock, but hate country. No one has “Bad” taste, just different.



Believe it or not, your music taste actually reveals something about yourself. We all have noticed, at at least one time or another, that our music taste goes along with our friends, clothing styles, activities, style of talking, and our desired “hang –out”. But music can also help you identify who you are as a person. Some of the statistics in music vs. personality choices might surprise you. Contrary to what most people believe, heavy metal fans, such as Metallica and KISS fans, are calm and at ease with themselves, smart, liberal, adventurous, athletic, and prone to social dominance, but most of heavy metal fans tend to be slackers. Classical music fans have some of the same traits as heavy metal fans. They are both calm, creative, and introverted. Unlike heavy metal fans though, classical music lovers tend to work harder and strive more towards their goals.

Studies show that listening to jazz music can help boost your self esteem, while heavy rock causes some people to lack self- belief and confidence. Rap and hip-hop fans, such as Lil Wayne or Justin Timberlake fans, are known for being outgoing and friendly, agreeable, liberal, athletic .Jazz listeners are also smart, liberal, and adventurous. People, who listen to Pop music such as Madonna or Britney Spears, tend to be agreeable, conscientious, conservative, rich, happy, and emotionally unstable. Indie lovers, such as Fall Out Boy fans, lack self-esteem and are not very gentle. Emo fans, such as My Chemical Romance and Three Days Grace fans, are similar to Heavy Metal fans, but also lack self confidence and are “mad at the world”. Country music listeners, such as Taylor Swift or Kenny Chesney fans, are hardworking and shy. While most people think it is heavy metal or emo music, Country music is the statistically proven most depressing genre of music out there. Obviously, Gospel and religious music listeners are, in fact, religious and consider them close to God and strongly believe in the Bible.



Most people tend to hang around friends who have the same or at least loosely similar music taste as themselves. This shows we all like to have the same interests as friends and like to be able to identify with them as well. Some people like just one specific type of music, while other listen to several, or even all types. These people tend to be very complex individuals with many different personality traits and types.

So, are you a hard working country fan, a extraverted rap lover, or a self confident Heavy Metal fan?