According to Fast Company, a researcher at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, discovered that “strong personality attributes are linked in our choices in music.” The study consisted of more than 36,000 volunteers around the world. Respondents were asked to ranked 104 music styles before completing a test that focused on six personality traits. The Frederick Symphony Orchestra provides a summary of the study’s fascinating conclusions:

• Blues: Fans of rhythm and blues tend to have a high self-esteem. They are also creative, outgoing, at ease, and gentle.
• Bollywood: Fans of Bollywood, music based in the Indian movie industry in Mumbai, are typically more outgoing and creative.
• Classical: Previous studies have shown that babies grow up smarter if they listen to Beethoven in their crib. There is also research that classical music improves memory and retention rate, making it a great study tool for students, but what does it really say about the personality of the listener?

  According to this research, those who prefer classical music to other genres tend to be more at ease and creative. They also tend to be introverts with a high self-esteem.

• Country: Fans of country and Western music tend to be hardworking and outgoing.
• Dance: Those that prefer dance music tend to be more outgoing and creative. However, most are not seen as gentle.
• Folk: People that prefer folk music tend to be more creative and outgoing.
• Heavy Metal and Rock: Ironically, those who prefer heavy metal tend to be the most at ease and gentle in personality. Their creativity was also off the charts, but they are typically not hardworking or outgoing, according to this study.
• Indie: Indie listeners tend to be very creative, but have low self-esteem. They also tend to lack in the hardworking and gentle departments, according to this study.
• Jazz: Fans of jazz music are usually more creative, outgoing, and at ease. They also tend to have a high self-esteem.
• Opera: Opera fans are usually more gentle and creative with high self-esteem, according to this research.
• Pop: Those who listen to pop music regularly had high self-esteem, most likely due to the upbeat rhythms. They also tend to be more gentle, outgoing, and hardworking. However, this study says that they are not creative or at ease.
• Punk: If you favor the punk genre, you are most likely more creative. However, it might come as no surprise to some that being at ease and outgoing scored lower.
• Rap: People who prefer rap music are understandably outgoing and have a high self-esteem, according to this research.
• Reggae: Reggae fans tend to have a high self-esteem, according to this study. They are typically also creative, outgoing, gentle, and at ease. However, most are not hardworking.
• Soul: Those who prefer soul music tend to have a high self-esteem. They are usually also creative, outgoing, gentle, and at ease.

Tempos determine intensity, while lyrics can strike a chord deep in your emotions. Depending on how you perceive these and other qualities of music, it can say a lot about your personality, from how at ease you are in situations to where your self-esteem stands.

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