Dimensions of Musical Preferences

What Your Taste in Music Says About You

It showed that musi­cal pref­er­ences could be orga­nized into the fol­low­ing four gen­er­al dimen­sions accord­ing to the lev­el of com­plex­i­ty, emo­tion, and ener­gy found in each musi­cal style: 

Reflec­tive and complex—classical, jazz, blues, and folk
Intense and rebellious—alternative, rock, and heavy metal
Upbeat and conventional—pop, reli­gious, coun­try, and soundtracks
Ener­getic and rhythmic—rap/hip-hop, soul/funk, and electronica/dance

Researchers say each of these broad cat­e­gories of musi­cal pref­er­ences was also close­ly linked to an indi­vid­u­al’s per­son­al­i­ty traits, self-per­cep­tion, and cog­ni­tive abil­i­ty or intelligence.