Are you a vampire who likes to listen to dark, sad music or a diehard fanatic of one particular artist? Spotify Wrapped, a popular end-of-year trend on Instagram among music lovers, reveals this. Can your taste in music really say something about your personality? Music scientist Dr. Edith Van Dyck explains.
The end of the year is approaching and that means it’s time for Spotify Wrapped again. An animated video and overview of your most listened to records, artists, music genres and albums from the past year. And one that was widely shared on social media this week. Nice, but there is much more behind the fact that you are, for example, a huge Swiftie (a fan of singer Taylor Swift, ed.).
After all, your taste in music says a lot more about you than you think. It is not without reason that this year the streaming service Spotify also linked a whole series of personalities such as the Vampire, Fanatic or Time Traveler to your listening habits of the past year.
(Continue reading below the image.)
© Spotify
From your hobbies to your love life: this influences your music taste and therefore your Spotify Wrapped
“The type of music you like to listen to depends on the one hand on how you personally experience music,” says Dr. Edith Van Dyck, postdoctoral researcher in music sciences at Ghent University and teacher of music history at Erasmushogeschool Brussels. “On the other hand, there are also outside influences. Take the music that your friends like to listen to or what you sometimes hear on the radio or in the supermarket, for example.”
“Research shows that emotions and arousal (Dutch: ‘state of excitement’) in particular have the greatest impact on our music taste. Emotions make the music experience much more intense. For example, a band or song can touch you strongly through the sounds themselves, but also because it evokes certain emotional memories. Like the song that reminds you of your first love,” the music scientist explains.
Your taste in music is often very dependent on a certain situation. For example, you will listen to different music if you want to study than for a romantic tête-à-tête.
Edith Van Dyck, Musicologist
“Often, music we listened to in adolescence stays with us for the rest of our lives. Around the age of 16 you notice all kinds of hormonal changes and your brain is in full development. This brings with it stronger emotions, which you often feel again later when you listen to songs from that time. Just like that feeling of nostalgia.”
Music is more than just sounds, Dr. Van Dyck emphasizes. “You can also like to hear something through the lyrics, because you think the artist is cool or because he or she conveys a certain message.”
“In addition, music that touches you emotionally or physically gives you a kind of kick. That is that arousal or excitement. We are talking about chills, thrills and peaking emotions such as goosebumps or a lump in the throat. And we obviously want to experience that more often,” says the expert.
Music scholar Edith Van Dyck. © rv
“If you like to dance, rhythmic music, with or without bright beats, will usually appeal to you more. But other interests or hobbies can also play a role. For example, many people have a specific list for walking, yoga or meditation.”
“Your favorite music genre is often very dependent on a specific situation. This way you play different music when you want to study than for a romantic tête-à-tête. The fact that there are many love songs in your Spotify overview may say more about the number of dates you have had in the past year than about what you really like to hear.”
Music also has a strong social factor. “We often listen together with others or music is a means of social bonding with others. This way, we are more likely to test something new if the music tip comes from someone we like. Or do we listen more to a certain genre or artist if we want to belong to a group or project a different image.”
Friends often listen to similar music. © Getty Images
Familiarity is also an important parameter that determines your music taste. “We often prefer to hear something that we have heard before. Because when you listen to your favorite song or artist, your brain produces more happiness chemicals such as dopamine, endorphins, serotonin and oxytocin. And who doesn’t want to feel happy?” There is a limit, Dr. Van Dyck warns. “You may have heard something too much. Let that be a message to the radio stations (laughs).”
Does your taste in music say something about your personality?
“Your taste in music is – logically – a very individual matter,” says Dr. Van Dyck. “It is often so complex that for most people you cannot simply say why exactly you like to hear a certain song, artist or genre.”
“A broad taste in music is sometimes linked to an open and social character. However, your personality is not the best indicator for this. There is also little good research into this. So we can’t say that extroverts listen more to rock, for example.”
Spotify ‘pushes’ the artists they want. So please note, it remains a company that aims to make a profit.
Edith Van Dyck, Musicologist
However, there is sometimes still a lot of shame surrounding it. “’As a bear of a guy, I can’t possibly like hearing Harry Styles,’ you’re probably thinking? That is not strange. People are generally afraid to show who they really are, and therefore what they like. Whether that concerns clothing, taste in music or sexual preferences,” says the music scientist.
But that is not necessary at all, she thinks. “People often find it cool or surprising to hear that a cheerful woman – like me – can also enjoy heavy grindcore (extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk, ed.). So get rid of that shame!”
There is one more major nuance. “Spotify has unique algorithms that accurately track the music you play in order to provide the best suggestions. That is a big part of their success and has both pros and cons. You will get to know new artists and music genres, and there is a good chance that you will like it. But of course there is also a whole revenue model behind this. In this way, Spotify ‘pushes’ the artists they want. And that is not always very transparent. It remains a company with the aim of making a profit. However, the artists themselves could also benefit more from those profits.”
Spotify Wrapped. © Spotify
Such personalized lists such as the Spotify Wrapped can be seriously wrong for parents with young children, the expert emphasizes. “If you regularly assign children’s songs to the children, it can sometimes become a strange mix in that overview list. “I never put on that naked ass song, did I?” Little rascals also dare to use mom or dad’s Spotify account. So perhaps the profile that Spotify assigns to you is not always representative of you as an individual,” she concludes.
Also read:
“Smart song choice is crucial.” Expert explains how music does not hinder your sports performance, but improves it
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2023-12-02 15:30:48
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