All Conference Presentations, Performances and Exhibits
Music Preference as it Relates to Personality and Self-Esteem
Location
Guzman Lecture Hall
Start Date
4-15-2016 2:30 PM
End Date
4-15-2016 3:30 PM
Student Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor(s)
Afshin Gharib, Ph.D.
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Music is an important part of people’s lives. It is something that is personal and emotional, which is why a person’s musical preference may give insight into their personality and self-esteem. The research by Rentfrow and Gosling (2003) was one of the first studies to explore the connection between music preference and personality. They found that people generally feel their musical preference gives insight into their personality. They also found that people scoring high in Openness to Experience tended to prefer Complex and Reflective or Intense and Rebellious music, and those scoring high in Extroversion tended to like Upbeat and Conventional or Energetic and Rhythmic music. This opened the door for more research in this topic area, including the work by Swami, Malpass, Havard, Benford, Costescu and Sofitki (2014). They focused on the genre of heavy metal, and found that people preferring heavy metal music tended to have lower self-esteem and a higher score in Openness to Experience. To carry out the present research study, undergraduate students in psychology classes at a small liberal arts university in northern California will be recruited to complete an anonymous online survey. It is expected that there will be approximately 50 participants, raging in age between 18-50, 70% of whom will be female. The survey consists of The Big Five Inventory (Goldberg, 1992), the Short Test of Music Preference (Rentfrow and Gosling, 2003), The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965), as well as demographic questions. The categories for music preference are Reflective and Complex, Intense and Rebellious, Upbeat and Conventional, and Energetic and Rhythmic. It is hypothesized that people preferring Intense and Rebellious or Reflective and Complex music will tend to be high in Openness to Experience and have lower self-esteem, whereas people preferring Upbeat and Conventional music or Energetic and Rhythmic music will tend to be high in Extroversion and have higher self-esteem. Men are expected to prefer Intense and Rebellious or Energetic and Rhythmic music, and women are expected to prefer Upbeat and Conventional or Reflective and Complex music. This study will be completed by February of 2016.
Music Preference as it Relates to Personality and Self-Esteem
Guzman Lecture Hall
Music is an important part of people’s lives. It is something that is personal and emotional, which is why a person’s musical preference may give insight into their personality and self-esteem. The research by Rentfrow and Gosling (2003) was one of the first studies to explore the connection between music preference and personality. They found that people generally feel their musical preference gives insight into their personality. They also found that people scoring high in Openness to Experience tended to prefer Complex and Reflective or Intense and Rebellious music, and those scoring high in Extroversion tended to like Upbeat and Conventional or Energetic and Rhythmic music. This opened the door for more research in this topic area, including the work by Swami, Malpass, Havard, Benford, Costescu and Sofitki (2014). They focused on the genre of heavy metal, and found that people preferring heavy metal music tended to have lower self-esteem and a higher score in Openness to Experience. To carry out the present research study, undergraduate students in psychology classes at a small liberal arts university in northern California will be recruited to complete an anonymous online survey. It is expected that there will be approximately 50 participants, raging in age between 18-50, 70% of whom will be female. The survey consists of The Big Five Inventory (Goldberg, 1992), the Short Test of Music Preference (Rentfrow and Gosling, 2003), The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965), as well as demographic questions. The categories for music preference are Reflective and Complex, Intense and Rebellious, Upbeat and Conventional, and Energetic and Rhythmic. It is hypothesized that people preferring Intense and Rebellious or Reflective and Complex music will tend to be high in Openness to Experience and have lower self-esteem, whereas people preferring Upbeat and Conventional music or Energetic and Rhythmic music will tend to be high in Extroversion and have higher self-esteem. Men are expected to prefer Intense and Rebellious or Energetic and Rhythmic music, and women are expected to prefer Upbeat and Conventional or Reflective and Complex music. This study will be completed by February of 2016.