Why Do We Like the Music We Like?
Music is a wonderful thing. Whether you’re into pop, hip-hop, country, classical, heavy metal, or all of the above 一 we all have those songs we can play and instantly feel better. Have you ever wondered why that is? Or better yet, why are those songs our songs?
The art of music is something that has always fascinated me. This might have something to do with my dad being a DJ when I was younger, but I’ve always thought that music has a type of power that other things just can’t achieve. If you’ve sang along to your all-time favorite song with thousands of other fans, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you’ve blared a sunshine song on your way home from work on a Friday, you know what I’m saying. If you’ve cried alone in your room and played a song that made you feel less alone, again, you get me.
After some personal research, I’ve found that many factors come into play when we choose our type of music. Obviously, our upbringing has a lot to do with the shaping of our likes and dislikes, but there’s so much more to it.
A study done by Cambridge University psychologist and researcher, David Greenberg, focused on the way we think and how it correlates to our music preferences. With over 4,000 participants, Greenberg divided them into different groups based on their thinking styles:
Empathizers (Type E)
These people focus on people’s thoughts and emotions.
Systemizers (Type S)
These people focus on rules and systems.
Balanced (Type B)
These people focus equally on both areas.
It was concluded by the psychologist and his team that Type E thinkers were attracted to deeper, emotional songs with lower energy 一 such as sad songs, soft rock, and singer-songwriter genres. On the other hand, type S leaned more towards intense music, with more framework and structure. With type B’s categorization of balance, it’s obvious that they portrayed a more extensive range of choices than the other types.
“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
This article does not even begin to scratch the surface of the reasons why certain people like certain types of music. Researchers are working every day to find more and more correlations, as there are so many factors that play into it.
What type of thinker are you? Does that explain your favorite genres or songs?