Just typing that title makes me suddenly suspect this is going to be about talking yourself into things or positive reinforcement stuff. No. This is more specific. It’s more specific about music and what our preferences tell us about ourselves – and maybe show others about us too.

What are the personality attributes of people with these different preferences? If you are a fan of Sophisticated or Intense music, you tend to be very high on Openness to Experience—curious, creative, welcoming of new perspectives—and politically liberal; the difference is that people who prefer Sophisticated music tend to be docile in social interactions whereas people that prefer Intense music tend to be dominant with an impulsive communication style (what we might call “blirtatiousness”). Of all the musical preferences, those who like Intense music tend to be the least Conscientious—spontaneous, disorganized, lacking in self-restraint.

You Are What You Listen To – Todd B Kashdan, The Creativity Post (13 March 2015)

Read the full piece.