What does your Choice of Music Say about You?

When you are happy, you enjoy the music. But when you are sad, you understand the lyrics.
~ Anonymous

Glued to music, and always spotted with earphones hanging around your neck? Then maybe, 'music is your savior'. And with the recent advent of iPods, clouds and smartphones, we can personalize our music and listen to it at our discretion.

We've all grown up listening to songs. Every song has a history attached to it. Some would be our grade school favorites, graduation favorites and a few would be all-time favorites. We may differentiate songs as classical, pop, rock, metal, country, folk, hip-hop, ballads, dance, love and gospel songs, the list is too long to mention in this write-up.

Even though we can say that all songs are great, life is too short to listen to bad music. But there is no such thing as 'bad music', what is bad for you may be somebody's favorite. It all depends on your personal taste and your personality traits. These factors determine what kind of music you will be inclined to listen to. Your musical makeup is a good indicator of your personality makeup.

It is a very common question to ask somebody about the kind of music they listen to. But why do we ask this question? So that we would come to know more about the kind of person he or she is. That is the power of your choice of music, it can reveal the unsaid about you.

Now that's simple! We listen to music because it drifts us away from the current situation temporarily, and gives us peace of mind. Scientifically speaking, when we listen to our favorite music, our brain releases a 'feel-good' neurotransmitter called 'dopamine'.

It is also observed that when we listen to good music, our pupils dilate, blood pressure and pulse rate increases and cerebellum (area of the brain associated with body movements) becomes active. In brief, music gives us pleasure!

Many researches reveal that based on the songs in their iPod play lists, we can categorize people who listen to classical as insipid, those listening to rock can be regarded as emotionally unstable, while those who like jazz are always serious and reflective.

People having a liking for pop are considered conventional, whereas those who like rap are beaming with energy.

• Constant exposure to the song by the media 
• How a person relates to the artist
• Which kind of feeling the song evokes in us

• Our cryptic association with the rhythm, beat and the lyrics
• Our upbringing and lifestyle
• Our response to aggressiveness
• The mood we are currently in (trust me, it depends a lot on it)

People who listen to Jazz, Blues, Soul, Classical and Folk are considered to be very reflective and complex. They are open to new experiences and have a feeling of self-perceived intelligence. They have a high self worth. 

They have articulate speaking skills, are emotionally stable and politically liberal. Some of their negative traits are overdominant, inclination towards gathering wealth and over-indulgence in sports.

People who like Rock, Heavy-Metal or Alternate are considered to have an unmanageable life. People think that they are difficult to get along with, disobedient and alienated. But many researches have found out, that instead of being intense, these people are very gentle and creative. 

Most of the time, they are introverts and lack self-esteem, which is the reason why they keep themselves away from the masses. While some of them may be rebels, it is not true for every person who likes rock music.

When people listen to Pop, Country, Top 40 or Religious music, they fall in this category. This one is the most common type of music that we listen in our everyday life. These people are said to be friendly, tolerant, easily agreeable and have enough self-esteem and honesty to breeze through life. 

They are very helpful and hardworking people. One of the negative points is that these people get sad or depressed easily, and have a little passive perspective towards life.

People having a liking for Rap, Hip/Hop, Funk, Electronica and Dance are said to have an attractive physical appearance. They are outgoing, adventurous, athletic, intelligent and cheeky. Sometimes, some Funk or Electronica lovers can be called 'neurotic' due to their over-anxious behavior. 

They exhibit assertiveness that sometimes gets converted to aggressiveness. The downside is, these people are less creative and in a constant state of uneasiness.

It is seen that music preferences can affect movie preferences also. If you like Jay-Z, then most probably you'll watch Toy Story, Step Brothers, or Buddy The Elf, over the weekend. If you are a Tim McGraw fan, you'll opt for Pure Country, 8 Seconds, or Country Strong. If you like songs related to crime, you may prefer to listen to Jimi Hendrix, Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd.

Now, whenever you update your play list just contemplate on the type of music your adding to it, your choice of songs might show you your own personality. Also you can make quite accurate judgments about people, just based on the type of music they prefer.