Gaskill 1

Brianna Gaskill
Instructor Miller
ENG104-08
December 10, 2015
MP3-Final Draft Revised
Let the Music Do the Talking
What if there was something out there that soothed every heartache, started every party,
and was always there when needed? What if I said that such a thing actually already exists and is
available to everyone in the world? The only thing that fits both of those descriptions is music. A
quote that once hung on my wall in my room is one by Stevie Wonder: Music is a world within
itself, with a language we all understand. According to a study done by Peter Rentfrow from the
University of Cambridge the average American listens to about 18 hours of music a week. This,
not only counts the music that is being played out of headphones, but also the background music,
and music that we hear on TV or outside every day. Music is the one industry where sales
increase almost every year and that is because music is important to a lot of us. As the years pass
it is becoming easier to constantly listen to music with all the mobile technology. Another study
done by Lindsay Higdon, from the University of Cumberlands, found that adolescents on
average spent over 10,000 hours listening to music by the time they finish middle and high
school (140). This shows just how important music is to people of all ages. One thing I always
wondered though was why people loved music so much, and if there was a connection between
who we are and the type of music we are drawn to. It takes huge arenas minutes, sometimes even
just seconds, to sell out because we are so fascinated by music. Although music is important to a
lot of people there are still some that believe music doesn't affect us all that much. In spite of
beliefs that argue music genres do not effect a listeners personality, different genres of music can
improve a listeners mood or personality and can have a psychological change in individuals.

Gaskill 2
Many studies have shown that music, does in fact, have an effect on our personality, but
there are still some researchers that believe there is no connection between music and personality.
One article in particular that believed this to be true was one by Marilyn Livosky from the
Psychology Journal, out of Mercyhurst College. Livoskys article, Personality and Music
Preferences in College Students and Young Children, argued that there was no connection
between music and personality because there wasn't enough evidence in the studies that have
been done so far. This article did a study themselves to see if they could find any connection.
They took a group of college students and a few children and then they surveyed them on genre
preferences and the different categories of music (13). Their study did find a lot of interesting
information about which different age groups prefer certain types of music: College students
rated rock music most positively and bluegrass music least positively (15). Although this article
says no significant relationships were found between any of the other Big Five personality
factors and any other music genres (13), they did claim that preferences of genres are related to
an age group. They did stay pretty firm on the part of their argument that music and personality
have nothing to do with each other throughout the article. The reality is though that music does
effect personality and can improve a lot of other factors in listeners. There are studies out there
that claim, and have evidence to prove that to be true.
I myself have leaned on music for support more times than once. When I was a
sophomore in high school I wrote a paper similar to this exact one, stating that personality and
music go together. I wanted to find out if our personalities and moods were somehow effected
because of music. I wrote that paper back in 2011 and even though that was just a short time ago
I am finding a lot more information on this topic today. There have been more researchers
interested in this topic and wanting to find out if music is as important as people make it seem.
One of the things that seems to remain true though from when I wrote the first paper to this one
now, there are still authors and experts who are hesitant to believe that music can, in fact, affect a
listeners personality. Not only do I not agree with the authors, but I also think that music can

Gaskill 3
affect a person and an article from the Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate by Lindsay Higdon
from the University of Cumberlands, also agrees. She states that research has been done on
psychological reactions to certain types of music (140). Telling the readers that there has been
many studies done to show that music could be changing things like our facial expressions, heart
rate, and other emotions and behaviors.
Not only does music change our psychological reactions but it can also improve or
change our moods. In Higdons article he talked about how people would listen to music for an
outlet and to feel safe (144). From a personal experience, when I was in 7th grade my parents got
a divorce, and music was my out or my way to clear my head of everything that was happening. I
always felt like music was saying the words that I was trying to find but could never get across.
My family will be the first to tell others that I was a handful when I was in junior high when all of
this was taking place. The one thing I remember my mom always telling me was to stop being
so negative and the only time I really felt anything was when I was listening to music. The only
time I ever felt like I could get my point across is when I would find a song that I could relate to.
Now that I am older and get along great with both sides of my family they understand how
important music is and was to me and know that it got me through even things they didn't know
were going on.
Another thing about music is that whatever a listener is feeling, they can find a song that
they can relate to and also show what type of person they want to be seen as. An article by
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzie, from Goldsmiths University of London, argued that music lovers
will pick music to listen to that will allow people to see what kind of person they are:
Individuals might select styles of music that allow them to send a message to others about who
they are or who they would like to be seen (176). Music is s source of expression and it is a way
for people who are usually quiet or more to themselves to show others who they are. The article
from The British Journal of Psychology, then went on to point out the three different reasons they
believe people listen to music: emotional, cognitive, and background (177). They go on to say

Gaskill 4
that we listen for an emotional reason to lift up our moods, a cognitive reason to appreciate and
process music, and also listen to music just as a background noise.
Many researchers can agree that there are three main reasons for listening to music but
the thing they have a hard time agreeing on is whether or not personality has anything to do with
the genre of music individuals listen to. An article from the European Journal of Personality by
Marc Delsing, from Utrecht University, states that social factors such as ethnicity, social class,
youth cultures, as well as individual factors (110) can be factors in the type of music listeners
prefer. Further on in the article they claim that based on their research extroverts like more
stimulating music and introverts continuously chose less stimulating music (111). They basically
were trying to point out that people who enjoy being with a lot of people and are sociable liked
the more upbeat music, while the individuals who liked being more to themselves would rather
listen to the slower less loud music. I can relate to these findings because for me, it seems like
most of my friends from home prefer to listen to the same type of music as me. This being
because we all come from the same background and were, for the most part, interested in the
same things. With the research they did in this study they gave a lot of insight to the different
types of music most adolescents were listening to and then went further into the research to find
out what kind of people they were. They took people aged 12-19 to complete their research, to
see if there was any connection between the types of person they were and the genre of music
they were into. They go onto conclude their findings by stating the music adolescents selects
partly reflects their personalities and associated needs and thus knowing what music a person
likes may serve as a clue to his or her personality(128). Now obviously the type of music a
person listens to wont reveal every detail about a person but it is a good way to get the overall
view of their personality.
The different types of genres people listen to can also have some psychological effects as
well. Not only can music effect the moods and personality of listeners, but now researchers are
looking more into the social psychology of music. Music is obviously a very important part of

Gaskill 5
our lives, with the amount of money we spend on it and the amount of time we are constantly
listening to it, it shouldn't be a surprise that it is having a big effect on our identity. An article
from Peter Rentfrow, an associate professor at the University of Cambridge, states that music
serves as a symbolic representation of self and that individuals derive a sense of identity from the
music they listen to (409). Music is a common resource adolescents use to show some sort of
self-expression and also a way to find out what different types of things they might be interested
in.
The different genres of music are also involved in a lot of different stereotyping. They go
on in the article from Rentfrow to say that there are many stereotypes about the certain types of
people who like music. For example fans of classical music are believed to be white, wealthy,
hardworking, introverted, physically unattractive, intelligent, and artistic (410), and that is only
one genre of music. There are stereotypes for every genre and Rentfrows article goes into detail
about them. The shocking results he found though, showed that a lot of the stereotypes actually
were pretty close to the truth. Not to say that this is going to always be true, just because most of
the listeners of rap music are believed to be extroverted, relaxed, athletic, and to drink beer and
smoke marijuana (410), doesn't mean that it is always the case. When I was younger I would
listen to certain types of music, like punk or rap, just because I knew that my dad didnt like me
listening to it because of the stereotypes he had of those genres. It started out as just a way for
me to get under his skin but now I actually enjoy those genres and am still aware of the
stereotypes that surround them. Music is just a tool used to find ourselves and the type of music
that individuals listen to will leave an impression on the listener. Some people, like my dad,
believe that rap music is just talking with a beat behind it that has absolutely no meaning. When I
would listen to rap I always felt like it was telling me a story and it was easier for me to relate to
the song. I would say that choosing to widen my range of genres has helped me understand the
importance of each genre and they have all impacted me in some way.

Gaskill 6
Music can and does effect listeners moods and personalities and can even have more
psychological changes in individuals, despite what some researchers believe. Not only does
music help lift us up and improve our moods, it also can shape the kind of person we are. Music
is something that every race, religion, and gender has in common. We all listen to it and are
effected by in it one way or another. The researches that have been done over the years all over
the world have shown, that even if we cant agree to what extent music is shaping us, we can all
agree that music is something that is important to every culture. There is no doubt that music
plays a role in our everyday life and will continue to do so. We can sell out music halls in
minutes, will stand in line for hours just to get a ticket for a concert that we have to see, and
rarely think twice about the price of those tickets. Whether we listen to music to get over a
breakup, while at a party, or just when we need the comfort, our moods and personalities are
being shaped, and music does, in fact, influence the people who are listening.

Gaskill 7

Works Cited
Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas, and Adrian Furnham. "Personality And Music: Can Traits Explain
How People Use Music In Everyday Life?" British Journal of Psychology 98.2 (2007):
175-185. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Delsing, Marc J. M. H., et al. "Adolescents' Music Preferences and Personality Characteristics."
European Journal of Personality 22.2 (2008): 109-130. Academic Search Complete.
Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Higdon, Lindsay G., and Eric C. Stephens. "Preferred Music Genre: The Influence of Major
Personality Factors." Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research 13.3 (2008): 140-147.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Livosky, Marilyn, et al. "Personality and Music Preferences in College Students and Young
Children." Psychology Journal 9.1 (2012): 13-25. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26
Oct. 2015.
Rentfrow, Peter J. "The Role of Music in Everyday Life: Current Directions in the Social
Psychology of Music." Social & Personality Psychology Compass 6.5 (2012): 402-416.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.