London (dpa) - A British study investigating the link between
musical tastes and personality has found that classical music
listeners and heavy metal fans share vital character traits such as
creativity and shyness.
The research, published Friday by Heriot-Watt University in
Edinburgh, Scotland, asked 36,000 music lovers worldwide to list
their favourite music and give brief descriptions of their
personalities in what is believed to be the largest such study ever
undertaken.
It was led by Adrian North, head of the university's department of
applied psychology, who said he had been "surprised" by some of the
results.
"One of the most surprising things is the similarities between
fans of classical music and heavy metal. They're both creative and at
ease but not outgoing," said North.
"The general public has held a stereotype of heavy metal fans
being suicidally depressed and of being a danger to themselves and
society in general. But they are quite delicate things."
According to North, heavy metal and classical fans are united by a
"shared love of the grandiose," which meant that a "Metallica fan is
more likely to listen to Mahler than an indie kid is to give reggae a
try."
"Aside from their age difference, they are basically same kind of
person."
Fans of indie music were found to have low self-esteem and little
motivation, while rap enthusiasts "tend to think a lot about
themselves and are extremely outgoing" and country and western fans
were outgoing and hard-working.
Those who love dance and music were extrovert but "more likely to
be unfriendly and slightly self-centred."
According to the study, blues and jazz lovers have generally
high self-esteem, are creative, outgoing and at ease - traits they
share with rock'n'roll fans who were, however, "not very kind or
generous."
North suggested that the results explained why "so many people
bond over music because it is "profoundly linked to the person we
are."
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