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Music Preferences by Personality Type - 16personalities
Music Preferences by Personality Type - 16personalities
For many of us, our taste in music is an integral part of our identity – so
much so that, to a certain extent, what we listen to is who we are. The songs
of our youth, heard a thousand times, fill our headspace with stray lyrics
and infectious grooves, creating a filter for the way we see, hear, and
understand the world from then on out. And while some have a less
conscious, more organic approach, others actively draw boundaries
between the music they accept and the music they deny – and by extension,
the people associated with those musical cultures, as well.
Roles
Agreement with “Do you enjoy listening to ...?”, by Role
As the Role with the most typical affinity for technology, it may be
unsurprising that Analysts were the Role most likely to listen using a PC,
laptop, or tablet (42%), devices which are rarely far from most Analysts’
reach. The utilitarian appeal of a computer – useful for so many tasks
outside of audio – may be more important to an Analyst than any fidelity
lost to inferior speakers.
Diplomats
The pronounced Feeling aspect of Diplomats may partially explain their
choice of music: blues (46%), soul (50%), world (49%), alternative (85%), and
jazz (54%, tied with Analysts), all genres that are often characterized by
great emotional intensity. Ambient (59%) music may also appeal to
Diplomats’ poetic nature. Aside from passion, Diplomat personalities may
also seek out these genres specifically for their borderlessness, their
resistance to being confined by arbitrary categorization.
The depths of the devotion that Diplomat personality types have to their
music may also be exemplified by the fact that they are the most likely Role
to embrace MP3 players (14%). Where some Roles may see music as an
afterthought, an added feature for their workstation or means of
conveyance that is nice, but hardly necessary, Diplomats may feel that
having their own tunes close at hand is absolutely vital. For a Diplomat, an
MP3 player may take on almost talismanic properties, adored as much for
its form – and its symbolism – as its function.
Sentinels
Of the four Roles, Sentinels only came first in their appreciation of two
genres: country (43%) and religious music (40%). The strong sense of
community that characterizes Sentinel personality types – whose work ethic
and desire for order stems from their belief that life is fundamentally about
maintaining the social fabric for the good of all – may explain their affinity
for these two forms, both of which often contain messages in praise of
service, whether to a higher power or to one’s fellow human being. The
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ambivalence that Sentinels tend to have for popular entertainment – so
much of which strikes them as a waste of valuable time – may also explain
why music must include at least a bit of didacticism to hold their attention
for long.
Sentinels were also the Role least likely to listen to music for more than two
hours per day on average (32%), and most likely to listen for less than five
minutes a day (5%) – however, when they do listen to music, Sentinels are
the most likely to use speakers rather than headphones (53%). Again,
Sentinels may feel that music is an extravagance that must be kept in
moderation, and they may dislike headphones due to their need to stay
connected at all times with the people around them, rather than shutting
them out.
Finally, Sentinel personalities were significantly more likely than any other
Role to listen to music on a car stereo (13%). For many Sentinels, travel time
may be the only space that they truly feel comfortable allowing music into
their lives, because at any other time, music may be interpreted as a
distraction from more pressing matters.
Explorers
The genres that Explorers favor more than other Roles – namely,
electronica (68%), hip-hop (49%), pop (74%), and reggae (35%) – may most
frequently match the Explorer mood: energetic and in the moment.
Whether it is a fast-driving techno beat or a reggae groove, Explorers may
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look for music that is more textural than intellectual, evoking an immediate,
visceral response.
Strategies
Agreement with “Do you enjoy listening to ...?”, by Strategy
Constant Improvement
Constant Improvers were similar to Confident Individualists in their
preferences, although with some intriguing differences. The top three
genres for these personality types were rock (79%, tied with Confident
Individualists), punk (46%), and alternative or indie rock (84%). Given that
punk is a subgenre of rock, we may as well call Constant Improvers the
ultimate rock lovers.
People Mastery
Personality types falling under the People Mastery Strategy hold a number
of top spots: blues (51%), country (40%), jazz (60%), soul (54%), and reggae
(38%). These genres tend to feature fairly relaxed and melodic tracks, and
People Masters’ preference for such music may be a reflection of their
social and confident natures.
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Social Engagement
Just like their Assertive counterparts in the People Mastery group, Social
Engagement types scored highest in quite a few genres: electronica (72%),
pop (77%), rap or hip-hop (57%), ambient or new age (59%), world (47%),
and religious (35%). All these genres are fairly distinct, so it is not
immediately apparent what factors may pull Social Engagers toward them.
We may get a clearer picture by looking at individual genres and personality
traits in the next section.
Genres
Let’s now go through the main genres and see which personality traits and
types they attract most. We’ll list the top 3 types in each case.
Punk
At first glance, the anarchic rhythms of punk might seem an odd fit for a
Logician’s quiet, detached demeanor, but if one looks past the caricature of
leather jacketed and liberty spiked moshers to the origins of punk rock
itself, the affinity becomes far more understandable. Just as punk began as
a rule-breaking reaction to overly polished studio rock, Logicians also tend
to have little patience – or respect – for tradition. Whether rejecting the
status quo in a political sense (as with The Clash, Dead Kennedys, or Gang
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of Four) or pushing the envelope more towards the avant-garde (art punks
like Devo, Talking Heads, or Yeah Yeah Yeahs), the smart, transgressive
qualities of punk may hold endless appeal for the Logician personality type.
For many of us, music can serve as an outlet for the feelings that we
otherwise have a hard time expressing, and the aggressive, in-your-face
style of punk may fulfill that function for Mediators, who so often find
themselves repressing their negative emotions for fear of hurting those
around them. Of course, angst is a key component of countless genres, but
there may be something in the absence of artifice, the sheer rawness, of
punk that appeals to Mediators, for whom bands like Minor Threat or
Hüsker Dü might vocalize the anguish that they so often stifle. And while
the term “emo” has become perhaps irretrievably stigmatized, Mediators
might be particularly drawn to those punk bands that turn inward more
than lashing outward, such as Jawbreaker or Jimmy Eat World.
The DIY ethic epitomized by punk may have a kindred spirit in the Virtuoso
personality, a group of people who believe that a hands-on approach is
always preferable to hours of purely academic study. Namely, the stripped-
down, no-frills punk of The Stooges, The Sex Pistols, and The Ramones has
a visceral feel that a Virtuoso has no need to intellectualize or rationalize –
only to experience.
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Personality Traits
Jazz
Personality Traits
Jazz seems to attract Extraverted, Intuitive, and Assertive types, all of which
have scored significantly higher than Introverted, Observant, and Turbulent
personalities:
Classical
So much depends on the thin baton of the maestro, the focal point for the
storm of instruments filling a concert hall – this sense of power, and
responsibility, may be something that Commander personalities can readily
identify with, as they too see themselves as the linchpin without which
some great enterprise would quickly collapse. The precision by which an
orchestra can execute the works of Beethoven or Wagner may be an
inspiration to Commanders, who seek an equal degree of control over the
forces marshalled underneath them.
Personality Traits
Intuitive personality types are much more likely to enjoy classical music,
scoring 12% above their Observant counterparts:
Perhaps it is the hybridized nature of rock music, the myriad influences that
have melded to make the form, that lends itself so well to debate – Stones
vs. Beatles, Beatles vs. Elvis, garage rock vs. arena rock – but nevertheless, it
may be this aspect of the genre that most appeals to the ever eager to
argue Debaters. Or it could simply be the inherent contentiousness of rock
as a whole, the rebellious spirit that defies categorization even as finer lines
are drawn – either way, people with the Debater personality type may have
an elaborate set of justifications for why their bands are worthy of inclusion
in the pantheon of rock, while others should be condemned forevermore to
the bargain bins of history.
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Mediators (INFP) (82%)
From Springsteen to Kings of Leon, there has always been a rough poetry to
rock, a rawness of feeling, that may hold great appeal for the innately, and
intensely, sensitive Mediators. Indeed, while some might find the
authenticity of rock suspect, Mediators may be quick to take the
earnestness of the form at face value.
Personality Traits
Rock seems to attract Intuitive and Prospecting types more than Observant
and Judging ones, with clear differences in both cases:
Alternative rock, as a genre that defines itself in large part by what it is not
more than what it is, might have intrinsic similarities to the Debater
personality type, whose identity also resides much more in opposition than
in allegiance. Just as Debaters tend to favor the abrasive over the
harmonious, so too might they be drawn most readily to bands that revel in
distortion, like Sonic Youth, Pavement, or Dinosaur Jr.
Alternative rock has its roots in punk, and Mediators seem to have an
affinity for both. Much as with punk, though, Mediators might tend to favor
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the more viscerally emotional music on the alternative spectrum. Bands like
The Cure, The Smiths, or Weezer, each in their own way, may also speak to
the outsider feeling that comes so easily to Mediators, one of the rarest
personality types in existence.
Personality Traits
Scores for alternative rock showed some intriguing differences across three
out of five scales, with Intuitive, Feeling, Prospecting, and Turbulent
personality types scoring higher than their Observant, Judging, and
Assertive cousins:
For an Adventurer, life often feels like a frenetic scream just outside their
window, and the relaxing, soulful sounds of reggae may be the perfect
antidote to soothe their jangled nerves. The sense of “one love” expressed
through the lyrics and voices of reggae singers like Jimmy Cliff or Gregory
Isaacs may provide Adventurer personalities with the harmony that can be
sorely lacking in their everyday existence.
Although much of reggae consists of slow jams and chill beats, the music
that was born in Jamaican dance halls boasts more than its fair share of
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jittery, revved-up tunes as well. Groups that veer more into ska – like The
Maytals or The Specials – may be more to an Entrepreneur’s liking than the
more laid-back varieties of the genre.
Performers like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, or Burning Spear can certainly be
enjoyed primarily – or purely – for their talent, but the political
undercurrents are hard to ignore entirely. For many fans of their music,
reggae is a force for revolution, and Campaigners may fall squarely into this
camp.
Personality Traits
Music more intended for backgrounds than for active listening – without
ruling out the possibility of the latter – ambient music may appeal to
personality types who have difficulty concentrating when too many things
demand their attention. After all, when you are absorbed by the fabric of
the universe, it is hard to notice tiny details in the weave, a condition that
befalls Campaigners more than most.
Personality Traits
The dominant traits among ambient music lovers were Intuitive, Feeling,
and Prospecting:
Personality Traits
If clever lyrics or canny musicianship are at the heart of some genres, pure
showmanship may be the prime mover behind most of pop music, where
the pageantry of performance is as important as the performance itself.
The elaborate costumes and intricate dance routines of Lady Gaga or Katy
Perry insist that music be an all-encompassing experience, visual as well as
auditory, a sentiment that Entertainers are likely to share wholeheartedly.
Personality Traits
Ironically, pop music seems to be one of the most divisive genres, sharing
that title with only one other – metal. It also has the largest gap among all
traits and genres, a 15.50% difference between Thinking and Feeling traits.
Besides this dyad, pop also attracts significantly more Extraverted,
Observant, and Turbulent types than Introverted, Intuitive, and Assertive
ones:
Testing boundaries has always been a core aspect of the metal experience,
and Logicians may particularly appreciate artists that take the genre in new
and interesting directions. The thematic and instrumental innovations of
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bands like Tool, System of a Down, or Mastodon may excite Logicians in
ways that are as cerebral as they are visceral.
Personality Traits
Metal fans are a nearly perfect opposite of pop lovers: Introverted rather
than Extraverted, Intuitive rather than Observant, Thinking rather than
Feeling, and Prospecting rather than Judging.
Entertainers (ESFP)
Test (57%)
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Hip-hop artists are often stereotyped as either cold-blooded criminals or
rapacious capitalists – often, both – but while thuggishness and greed is a
facet of the genre, they hardly tell the whole story. At its heart, hip-hop is
about communicating one’s love of language to an audience, as
demonstrated by the undeniable mastery the greatest MCs have over it. In
short, rappers are entertainers, so it should come as no surprise that the
Entertainer personality type might be drawn to hip-hop, especially the
playful, party mentality of groups from The Sugarhill Gang to A Tribe Called
Quest and Outkast.
The past few decades have seen hip-hop grow from underground
phenomenon to niche market to omnipresent juggernaut, listened to
around the globe and influencing music of every genre. Where once rap
may have been too outré for Executives to tune in, it has now permeated
culture to such a degree that, for all intents and purposes, rap music is pop
music. And while Executives may have little knowledge of or interest in old-
school rhymes, artists like Kanye West or Drake may be simply too popular
to ignore.
Personality Traits
As far as traits are concerned, rap and hip-hop attract Extraverted types
more than Introverted ones, with minimal differences between other traits:
Electronica
For many DJs, electronica is all about using technology to amplify the sonic
intensity of music to heights that analog instruments simply cannot match,
and this faster, louder, harder philosophy may be perfectly in tune with an
Entrepreneur’s own sensibilities. Dubstep, trap, and other club banging
varieties of electronica from artists like Skrillex, Diplo, or Lil Jon may get an
Entrepreneur’s blood pumping like nothing else in the realm of music.
Personality Traits
As with Executives, Defenders may identify with the sense of tradition and
order that comes from religious music. Moreover, the natural humility of
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Defenders may make the outlandish posturing of so many popular
performers – the self-promotion that is often as much a marketing decision
as it is a facet of the artist’s own personality – seem even more ridiculous
and discordant than it does for most.
Personality Traits
In this case, the most obvious difference is between Thinking and Feeling
traits, with a gap of over 11%. Extraverted personality types were also
slightly more likely to prefer religious music compared to Introverted ones.
Although the songs of Robert Johnson, Son House, or Lead Belly have been
covered by countless artists, their original lonesome, stripped-down howls
contain an authenticity, and depth of feeling, that Campaigner personalities
may find unmatched in other music. Prone to bouts of melancholy in
reaction to failures both real and perceived, Campaigners may find that
listening to the blues may often prove to be a cure for their own
despondence.
The elemental purity of the blues – the wellspring from which so much of
modern popular music flows – may explain the love that Consuls have for
the blues. And while Consuls may not be the type to dig through crates of
old vinyls in search of hidden treasures, the smooth virtuosity of radio-
friendly blues guitarists like Bo Diddley, B.B. King, or Stevie Ray Vaughan
may nevertheless hold a timeless appeal.
Personality Traits
Once the province of humble balladeers from the southeast and western
regions of the United States, country music has now become one of the
most popular genres around the world, making it a perfect match for
Consuls, one of the most popular – and popularity-seeking – personality
types around. And while country music has its share of outlaws, rebels, and
rabble-rousers, Consuls are likely to gravitate more towards artists like
Taylor Swift or Garth Brooks – fun-loving, widely relatable acts as eager to
entertain as they are reluctant to court controversy.
The larger than life, Byronic heroes that populate country music – both in
songs and on stage – may hold great appeal for Protagonists, for whom the
impulse to “be somebody” runs more strongly than for many other
personality types. Protagonists may have little trouble seeing themselves in
the strong narratives surrounding the cowboys, truckers, and assorted
other archetypes of country music, not to mention the mythical personas of
figures like “Man in Black” Johnny Cash.
Personality Traits
While some genres of music can have more insular appeal – punk rockers
or metalheads, for instance, may actively seek to separate “true fans” from
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mere poseurs – soul and R&B artists are often unabashed about reaching
as wide of an audience as possible; indeed, the mere notion of insularity
may strike soul artists as antithetical to their craft. The easily relatable
themes and undeniable talent of soul singers from Ray Charles to Diana
Ross to Adele have made them household names, reaching levels of
crossover popularity that Consuls – who prefer tried-and-true
entertainment to bold experimentation – can readily embrace.
Personality Traits
Still, just as two personality types may enjoy the same genre – or an artist,
or even a single song – for different reasons, it is important to remember
that music must not necessarily foster division and tribalism, though it can
certainly be turned to those ends. Music is a mode of communication, a
means of bridging gaps in our understanding when mere words fail.
How did you come to love the music you love today? How have your musical
preferences changed over the years? Do you see music as being a core
component of your identity? Let us know in the comments!