According to Rentfrow and Gosling (2003), Raymond Bernard Cattell was one of the first to theorize that information about aspects of personality could be revealed by an individual’s preferences for specific genres of music. Previous researchers believed that music preference was more the result of explicit traits of one’s personality, while Cattell claimed it allowed for a look into the unconscious (Rentfrow & Gosling, 2003). As research progressed over time, more insight began to occur within the daily life behaviors conducted by people. With a better understanding of these factors came an increased curiosity as to what potential individual differences could account for the variety in not only musical taste, but also other preferences people
…show more content…
From country to rock and metal to classical, there are a multitude of genres to pick from. It’s clear that every person most likely has a certain genre or a few genres that they highly prefer to others, but what individual factors lead us to have these preferences that do not mirror those of other people? More recent research has focused on personality in relation to music preferences, which has likely established some valid evidence within the field. Rentfrow and Gosling (2003) developed four categories in which music genres could be condensed. The reflective and complex category included classical, jazz, blues, and folk music. The intense and rebellious category included alternative, rock, and metal. The upbeat and conventional category contained country, pop, religious, and soundtracks. Lastly, the energetic and rhythmic category contained rap, soul, and dance music. Since research is still sparse, many have examined the link between the Big Five and music typed into those four categories. Some of the results from various researchers show support for there being a connection personality and music use, others do not find the same results, which may be indicative of deeper problems that have yet to be ironed …show more content…
However, Chamorro-Premuzic et al. do state that the discrepancies between findings regarding extraversion may warrant future research to further explore why findings vary so much. Of past research, there were positive correlations between extraversion and the upbeat and conventional music as well as some with the energetic and rhythmic music. Evidence to suggest correlation between openness and reflective and complex music also existed (Brown, 2012; Chamorro-Premuzic et al., 2010; Delsing, Ter Bogt, Engels, & Meeus, 2008; Dunn et al., 2011; Langmeyer, Guglhör-Rudan, & Tarnai, 2012; North, 2010). It’s crucial to note, however, that some of the findings were not significant enough for the researchers to conclude that evidence suggested a link between extraversion and upbeat and conventional music. Although some of the researchers had more significant results, this brings up an important issue. As findings are not uniform across the board, it’s possible that a third factor could have created the discrepancies found here. While mentioned above, having such broad examinations of the personality factors may have an impact on these results. Another interesting factor which has been included in some more recent studies in the individual use of
From country to rock and metal to classical, there are a multitude of genres to pick from. It’s clear that every person most likely has a certain genre or a few genres that they highly prefer to others, but what individual factors lead us to have these preferences that do not mirror those of other people? More recent research has focused on personality in relation to music preferences, which has likely established some valid evidence within the field. Rentfrow and Gosling (2003) developed four categories in which music genres could be condensed. The reflective and complex category included classical, jazz, blues, and folk music. The intense and rebellious category included alternative, rock, and metal. The upbeat and conventional category contained country, pop, religious, and soundtracks. Lastly, the energetic and rhythmic category contained rap, soul, and dance music. Since research is still sparse, many have examined the link between the Big Five and music typed into those four categories. Some of the results from various researchers show support for there being a connection personality and music use, others do not find the same results, which may be indicative of deeper problems that have yet to be ironed …show more content…
However, Chamorro-Premuzic et al. do state that the discrepancies between findings regarding extraversion may warrant future research to further explore why findings vary so much. Of past research, there were positive correlations between extraversion and the upbeat and conventional music as well as some with the energetic and rhythmic music. Evidence to suggest correlation between openness and reflective and complex music also existed (Brown, 2012; Chamorro-Premuzic et al., 2010; Delsing, Ter Bogt, Engels, & Meeus, 2008; Dunn et al., 2011; Langmeyer, Guglhör-Rudan, & Tarnai, 2012; North, 2010). It’s crucial to note, however, that some of the findings were not significant enough for the researchers to conclude that evidence suggested a link between extraversion and upbeat and conventional music. Although some of the researchers had more significant results, this brings up an important issue. As findings are not uniform across the board, it’s possible that a third factor could have created the discrepancies found here. While mentioned above, having such broad examinations of the personality factors may have an impact on these results. Another interesting factor which has been included in some more recent studies in the individual use of