With hundreds of music genres, each type can attract different kinds of personalities and people. For example, if someone goes through a heartbreak and they blast some music that relates to them, it could make that person feel less alone in their situation. 

According to a study conducted by the psychologists from the Universities of Kent and Limerick, sad music put 220 people in a better mood if sadness and/or relatability was what they expected to get from it before they turned it on. On the other hand, if you want to cry to release your emotions, but you physically can’t, certain types of music could also help with that.

Sad music isn’t the only type of music that affects people’s mood though. If someone is excited about a new opportunity they were just offered, then loud music could also help to enhance their energy. 

Just like music can change a person’s mood, it could also be a rough indicator of someone’s personality. There’s a pattern between  musical taste and key traits, which are the Big Five Personality Traits. They’re based on openness to experience, amount of authenticity (conscientiousness), extraversion, agreeableness, and the uneasiness one might be going through (neuroticism). 

Extroverts are more likely to listen to rap and electronic music since they like to listen to fun, upbeat music. Meanwhile introverts get attracted to classical music due to it having meaningful words. 

In addition to being an introvert, people who have an open personality are also likely to listen to classical music, jazz, and opera. Protagonists tend to enjoy jazz because they’re more enthusiastic and confident, which means they will often tend to seek out bolder music. 

Along with that, people who have higher conscientiousness are more likely to listen to unpretentious music such as country and folk genres. A lot of people that have a high sense of community and work ethic generally like country music because there’s usually many people involved in it. 

The more agreeable a person is, then there’s a greater chance that they’ll listen to mellow music like introverts do since that type of music is usually more calm. 

The only personality trait from the Big Five that’s not as easy to determine what kind of music someone would  like is if that person is  highly affected by neuroticism because it’s a huge category that attracts people who like all sorts of music. 

Music can help explain a lot about someone because it has lots of lyrics and emotions that are relatable to life. For example, it’s unlikely that someone would  listen to very slow and calm music if they’re generally excited and enthusiastic. With that said, other factors like social battery and hobbies also play a role in determining someone’s overall personality. Music could help to get the person’s vibe but not to judge their whole personality.