Music preferences are consistent across the world, a new study finds

A study involving more than 350,000 participants in more than 50 countries on six continents found that the link between musical preference and personality is pervasive

Ed Sheeran's song "Shives" is just as appealing to extroverts living in the UK as those living in Argentina or India

These hypotheses are supported by a new study led by Dr David Greenberg, an honorary fellow at the University of Cambridge and a postdoctoral scholar at Bar-Ilan University

Worldwide, the researchers found an equally positive, but not significantly different, relationship between extroversion and contemporary music; between earnest and earthy music; between melodious, mellow, earthy music; and between openness and mellowness In between, between contemporary, intense and complex

Greenberg, a musician, neuroscientist and psychologist, said: "We were surprised how much these patterns between music and character were replicated across the globe

The study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, explains why personality traits are associated with musical >

But one finding was even more puzzling

"It's surprising, but people use music differently - some may use it to vent, others may use it to change their mood

The researchers also found that the correlation between extroversion and contemporary music was particularly strong in equatorial regions, especially in Central and South America

Greenberg is still a professional saxophonist with a very diverse playlist, typical of those who score high on openness

How the research was conducted

Greenberg and his colleagues assessed an unprecedented number of participants living in more than 50 countries using two different methods of assessing music preference

The researchers focused on Western music primarily because it is the most heard music globally, and findings based on Western music have the strongest potential for application in real-world and global therapeutic settings

The researchers used the MUSIC model, a widely accepted framework for conceptualizing musical preferences, which identified five key musical >

Why these findings matter

For thousands of years, humans have broadcast voices to other groups to determine if they share similar values, if they can share resources, or if they are ready to fight

Greenberg, who lives in Jerusalem, has used music as a bridge to work with Israelis and Palestinians

"For example, if those who scored higher on neuroticism, for example, were already stressed and depressed after listening to more intense music, was this helping them with anxiety, or was it just reinforcing and perpetuating?" Greenberg said.

The study was not meant to categorize music lovers
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"Musical preferences do change, they're not set in stone," Greenberg said.
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We're not saying a person is just outgoing or open, we all have a combination of personality traits and a combination of musical preferences for different strengths
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Our findings are based on On average, we have to start somewhere and start to see and understand the connection
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Greenberg believes that future research could combine streaming data with EEG hyperscanning techniques to build a more nuanced understanding of the biological and cultural factors that influence our musical preferences and responses
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He also said that future research should rigorously test the connection between music and personality in the real world, to see how music can serve as a bridge between people of different cultures around the world
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