Americans listen to four hours of music a day, according to an Edison Research study released in 2014. We use music to live our everyday lives, and no matter what kind of music we listen to, we cannot escape the important role music plays in society.
Though there are more than 1,200 different “micro-genres” of music, many believe their favorite style is better than all the others. Whether it’s rock, pop or hip hop, if you believe your preferred music genre is superior, you may become very closed-minded when others try to introduce you to different styles.
David Greenberg, a University of Cambridge psychologist, studied different types of music listeners and found what might be psychological reasons behind a person’s music preferences. He quizzed thousands of people, first giving them a written test to analyze their personalities, then finding out what types of music they prefer.
Greenberg found links between people’s empathy levels and their music taste. According to his study, people with high empathy, “empathizers,” more often prefer mellow music with deep emotion. On the other side of the spectrum, the “systemizers” prefer more intense music with complex sounds. The theory says empathizers are interested in music’s emotional qualities and how it makes them feel, whereas systemizers are more intrigued by its structural qualities.
He also found people who like both mellow music and intense music score about the same in empathizing and systemizing tests, indicating a “balanced” thinking style.
“We are seeking music that reflects who we are, so that includes personality, that includes the way we think, and it may even be the way our brain is wired,” Greenberg told CNN.
If you love one type of music, it does not mean you cannot learn to love other genres. Your brain may be naturally wired to favor one kind of music over the other, but you may be able to find different sounds you love if you give them a chance. It is easy to stick with what you are already comfortable with, but one of the great things about music is there is so much out there to explore.
Greenberg’s study gives a psychological explanation as to why some may personally favor one kind of music, but his research does not give anyone an excuse to belittle others’ preferences. No matter what type of music someone loves, they deserve to be respected. You could even end up liking the same kind of music if you opened your mind and tried to view life in a different way.
A study from Deakin University in Australia used the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index to confirm people who dance and attend concerts regularly tend to be happy. The index, which is an annual survey that attempts to measure the happiness of Australian citizens, paid special attention in 2014 to music consumption habits through six different activities: listening to music, singing, playing an instrument, dancing, composing music and attending music-oriented events.
Co-author of the study, Melissa Weinberg, said music is an outlet more powerful when shared. Attending concerts and feeling the emotional connection with one’s peers allows for a positive outlet of emotions.
“Music seems to be a way that can facilitate social connections,” Weinberg told CNN. “And we know social relationships are absolutely critical to subjective wellbeing. Anything that has people coming together through mutual interest or commonality will contribute to this, including music.”
Greenberg’s study may help a person defend their narrow music taste, but Weinberg’s study shows the benefits of expanding it. Listening to music alone doesn’t seem to correlate with happiness as much as listening to music with others does, so opening your mind to different styles of music may help you live a better lifestyle.
“I think it’s interesting that, in today’s day and age, everybody’s sort of walking around with headphones in their ears and not engaging with others,” Weinberg said. “Yet there’s a clear difference between listening to music in isolation, versus listening to music with others or engaging with music.”
The personal nature of music may scare some from sharing it with others, but sharing artists and songs can make you feel connected in ways you cannot usually connect. It is easy to isolate yourself with music and your own thoughts, but you have the opportunity to take personal feelings and share them with people who feel the same way.
Everyone may have their favorite kind of music, but no certain style or type is better than another. No matter the genre, music is art, and art should not be taken for granted.
Lynne Bunch is an 18-year-old mass communication freshman from Terrytown, Louisiana.