Music is an important part of our life. The average person listens to music about 14 percent of their waking lives. Why do we like the music we do? Where do our music preferences come from? The following describes some of the main psychological factors that underlie people’s music preferences (Gasser, 2019; Rentfrow & Levitin, 2019).
Personality Traits
eople prefer styles of music that are consistent with their personalities. For instance, people who have a need for creative and intellectual stimulation prefer unconventional and complex musical styles (e.g., classical, jazz, folk), and that people who are sociable and enthusiastic prefer musical styles that are energetic and lively. Music preferences reveal valuable information about a person’s character.