Personality Types and Music

[NewEra]

Interesting concept... I like basically every genre of music.

 

[MrME]

65 % enjoys reflective and complex music
73 % enjoys edgy and aggressive music
33 % enjoys fun and simple music
56 % enjoys energetic and upbeat music

 

[BlackCat]

I don't think music and MBTI are really linked. I am into Death metal, Viking metal, Black metal, Power metal, Industrial, Techno, Hard rock and a few other random bands. I like anything that's angry most of the time, but if it has a good beat then it's fine. Some of my favorite bands are Amon Amarth, Rhapsody of Fire, Luca Turilli, In Flames, Kamelot, Xandria, Three Days Grace, As I Lay Dying, Atreyu, August Burns Red, Avenged Sevenfold, Lamb of God, Shadows Fall, Slipknot, The Acacia Strain, Trivium, Unearth. This doesn't sound like your typical INFP teddy bear's music tastes now does it? My good ISTJ friend also shares a similar music taste. So... Yeah. Not entirely sure how MBTI and music tastes are linked.

 

[sleuthiness]

I don't like splitting music into genres, and I try to stay away from forming set notions between music and type, but I think about correlations all the time.

I've been lately looking at how XNFJs weave their listening patterns. They probably interest me the most because it's as if I'm reading a journal or diary, INFJ especially.

INTP music patterns tend to simply baffle me with their complexities, though, and I won't know where to find the loose string to pull.

I know an INTJ who comes off as a really eccentric INFP, listening to albums of people grating rats and screwing. Out there guy, like an unbalanced ENTP behind a cold mask. The rest of you INTJs are boring!

 

[pure_mercury]

ExFJ

Suede, Blur, The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Public Enemy, The Rolling Stones, Happy Mondays, Black Grape, The Stone Roses, The Jam, Nick Drake, Elvis Costello, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Lucinda Williams, The Divine Comedy, The Delgados, Delays, Pet Shop Boys, The Pixies, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, The Smiths, Nirvana, Stevie Wonder, The Beach Boys, Al Green, Motown, The Replacements, Love, Fleetwood Mac, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Buzzcocks, Can, The Warlocks, The Shins, Jeff Buckley, Prince, Tricky


I want to have sex with Shimpei's taste in music.

 

[bananafish]

Old thread, but I found this to be interesting.

I don't care much for mainstream music really. From what I've examined about myself, I can like a song playing on a pop/rock station or whatever, but it won't stick to me. It'd be just for the moment kinda thing. I used to listen to r&b/rap when I was 12-14. I have no idea why, 'cause I don't really like it now. I know it wasn't peer pressure, but my brain's too lazy to look farther back and examining my past atm. :/ I'm open to all types of music, but.... it's gotta sound smart and have some meaning. If you know what I mean.

I used to listen to visual kei alot as a teen. The genre appealed to me both aesthetically (songs had alotta emotion in it, and vis bands always dressed up. I found the prettiness fascinating), but I always got tired of it after a few days of listening because it would all sound the same to me after. I also listened to alot of metal. Dunno why either... lol. I still listen to it, but rarely now. I do like screaming in some songs. It's a nice twist.

My bf (isfp also) likes listening to alot of complex stuff. He's into the punk genre too and plays as rhythm guitarist for his band. He's mainly into eerie sounds... like stuff from Heavens, and Avenged Sevenfold (he LOVES a7x). He makes fun of Dragonforce 'cause of their song names and suckage level when they play live. Otherwise, he thinks they make overall decent music (when recorded... lol). He pays most of his attention onto sounds... like how well each instrument's played. I'll show him a song on youtube and he'll say "the bass is sex, but the middle part sucks" and etc. Another couple of his fave bands are X Japan and Dir En Grey (Japanese metal/rock bands). He always fanatics on how the bassist's skills are so amazing.

And I'm not gonna say stuff about my music selection, 'cause it's basically the same thing as what I said about his. We're practically twins in everything. XD
Both of what we listen to ties to the mood we feel at the moment. Happy feelings, happy music, etc. I like songs that can make me cry and feel. Lols. If the lyrics fit the tone, then that's great. Makes me cry some more. It has to be acoustic or just voice alone though or it won't have any effect on me. XD

Also, classical and experimental music is for the win. I LOVE listening to instrumental stuff from time to time. I have a whole bunch of soundtracks from some of my favorite foreign films. Yann Tierson and Yuruma are great.

I'd also love to relearn guitar, but I want an acoustic. I'm not very partial to my electric one anymore... :|

This guy inspired me:
YouTube - Say Anything Alive with the Glory of Love Cover

I love his energy and emotion. It fits the song so well.
[Say Anything is my favorite band. I love how raunchy and down to earth their lyrics can get and how amazing music is :'D]

 

[GOODmusic]

i've only just started learning about personality types. i'm enfp and i like to write songs. looking back over the songs i've written they're all so enfp.

here's one i wrote a while back, i don't think u can get any more enfp than this:

one of these days
i'm gonna clean this house
i'm gonna shine like one
of those desperate housewives
you see on t.v.
yeah that'll be me
hoover underneath the couch
you watch me
one of these days.

one of these days
i'm gonna paint my room
paint a picture of paradise
so good to wake up to
and hop into the shower
not hang around for hours
thinkin one of these days.

 

[Kastor]

I think type has a bit to do with music preference, but not a whole lot.

Anyway, I'm an INFP and my favories are:

Blur
Gorillaz
The Beatles
Coldplay
Elvis Costello
The Killers
Graham Coxon (Blur guitarist)
Oingo Boingo
Simon and Garfunkle
U2
The Automatics

And several Japanese artists.

 

[maliafee]

Well, my ESTP brother, INTJ brother, and me, ISFP all grew up adoring Morrissey (INFJ). I don't think there's a correlation. It's more about your social circles and generation, etc. My ISFJ boyfriend and I like a vast array of music, because we're musicians and listen to a lot of different kinds and are familiar with making it and playing it and listening. It's broadened our interests, being so involved with it. It just doesn't have to do with type, I don't think...

 

[Polaris]

I think there's a correlation between type and music, but that correlation is probably overshadowed by the fact that different types can get different things out of the same piece of music.

(A few of) my personal favorites:

Michael Nyman
Enya
Gregorian
Yuki Kajiura

 

[Clownmaster]

Do you guys think that a person's personality type can influence their preference for a certain type of music?

No

Personally, I think that whatever different individuals find appealing in music (and all art for that matter) is so complicated, that personality types couldn't really predict any preference accurately.

Yes

(However, maybe F types might get a little more nostalgic over certain songs that they associate with certain people, times and places, do ya think?

No

My favorite bands
Tech N9ne
Nirvana
South Park Mexican
Twiztid
Marilyn Manson
Dark Lotus
Rob Zombie
Nine Inch Nails
Insane Clown Posse
Alice in Chains
Lil' Flip
Big Moe
Black Sabbath
Z-Ro
Soundgarden

 

[maliafee]

Do any NF's out there NOT like Enya (I'm honestly wondering, and not being sarcastic in the least)?

 

[swordpath]

Good songs, good melodies, good drums, good hooks, good vocals, good musicianship, fun times.

 

[EJCC]

Do any NF's out there NOT like Enya (I'm honestly wondering, and not being sarcastic in the least)?

My NF mom prefers Lyle Lovett and James Taylor. She's not an Enya fan. I have a male NF friend who might like Enya if he heard it, but his favorite genres are techno and drum & bass.

Also, I like almost all music. My favorite music is complicated music (though I like uncomplicated music most of the time, too). This includes:
*Progressive rock/metal (as long as it's melodic - that is, Tool or The Black Mages or Isis, but not not NOT Meshuggah... also, not Dragonforce, because they're so cheesy and yet take themselves so seriously!!)
*Rock operas (Quadrophenia, Thick as a Brick, Karn Evil 9, The Hazards of Love, etc)
*Concept albums/concept songs (The Power and the Glory by Gentle Giant, The Island by The Decemberists, 10,000 Days by Tool, etc)
*Anything that changes time signatures a lot
*Anything that breaks ground, and seems to have taken a lot of skill, musical knowledge/training and creativity to create (music by Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens, etc)
*Music by incredible artists (Jimi Hendrix for amazing guitar, Ben Folds for amazing piano, Elliott Smith and Paul Simon for amazing lyrics, Emerson Lake and Palmer for amazing EVERYTHING, etc)
*Good "classical" music (including baroque, etc). I'm a huge fan of Bach and Ravel.

Least favorite genres:
Mainstream hip-hop ('cause it's rude and sexist and many other things)
Mainstream country (see above)
Redneck hard rock, e.g. Buckcherry or Kid Rock (see above)
Mainstream R&B ('cause it's so effing generic!!!)
Metal with too much yelling

 

[simulatedworld]

I know.
It is a sad spectacle.

Kind of like INTPs and their automatic dismissal of anything that sells more than 12 records?

 

[EJCC]

Kind of like INTPs and their automatic dismissal of anything that sells more than 12 records?

Dunno about that. I know INTPs that absolutely ADORE the Grateful Dead, and collect their live albums. And how many of those ARE there, anyway? Hundreds? Thousands?

EDIT: Just realized that I totally skipped the point of this thread! Whoops! But anyways, I don't really notice a type-music correlation, except that, since NTs have more of a tendency to be nerdy, they would be more likely to 1. listen to nerdy music (cough dragonforce cough), or 2. listen to techno/electronica/house/drum&bass. Fs might like sad songs more, but I have no factual evidence to back that hypothesis up. There are pretty much NO similarities between the musical tastes of SJs, since they might tend to, with regard to music, follow with someone's preestablished tradition, and that someone could like ANYTHING, from Metallica to Chopin. (Also, see my above post. Does that look like traditional music to you? Probably not! But 90% of the music I like is music that my parents like (or like OKAY) too.)

 

[simulatedworld]

^ Just a little joke. I know a lot of INTPs who are really pretentious about music, but it's not just them.

 

[Orangey]

Well I don't know about correlation to type, but I definitely choose music for (1) its emotional impact on me and (2) its complexity.

Regarding (1), I really, really like melancholy music. Not sentimental or nostalgic, just general melancholy. I like it to be sad and reflective. Regarding (2), I really like music with odd instrumentation and abstract noises. I've grown less accepting of music groups who limit themselves to the typical drums, bass, guitars, vocalist routine. Give me sitars, harps, brass instruments, any ethnic instrument, electronically generated noises.

Also, I'll add a (3)rd dimension. I like for the music to minimal. Music that is TOO decadent can get on my nerves. It needs to be balanced and elegant. This is mostly why I avoid metal and certain types of rock.

This is more personal than anything, but I tend to prefer female vocalists and I guess you could say "feminine" style of music. Not in that it's girly, but that it has more of a personal, vulnerable style to it. Like a revealing of the psyche.

 

[hommefatal]

I'm totally making this up as I go along but I hypothesize that taste in music is correlated with at least F/T and J/P (or, in terms of function theory, whether one's judgment function is Ti, Te, Fi or Fe). I propose that:

- Ti types are predisposed to analytical/satirical music.
- Te types are predisposed to powerful/commanding music.
- Fi types are predisposed to heartfelt/passionate music.
- Fe types are predisposed to charming/persuasive music.

By this rationale, the fans incarnate of the following bands would be:

- Bloodhound Gang: XXTP (Full disclosure: I once dated an ISTP megafan.)
- Rammstein: XXTJ (Enough said.) (Although the band might have to be categorized differently for German speakers.)
- Depeche Mode: XXFP
- U2: XXFJ

There is no need to post disconfirmatory data of the "I listen to <insert band> and I'm an X" sort as I am fully aware that no one listens to only one kind of music. However, disconfirmatory data of the "I'm an X and I don't listen to <insert corresponding kind of music>" will be appreciated, as will refinement of this quick 'n' dirty hypothesis.

Many primitive fans of Rammstein are ISTJs but in general Rammstein fans are intuitive because the lyrics are so abstract.

 

[Son of the Damned]

METAL, METAL, METAL!
Ahem, sorry.

I prefer any music that is loud, heavy, and fast. Currently in love with Death/Black metal, though my first love will always be electronic music.

Fav bands:
Meshuggah
Dying Fetus
As blood bleeds black
Born of Osiris
Origin
Suffocation
Kataclysm
The Faceless
Lamb of God
Rob Zombie
Slayer
Infected Mushroom
Mushroom head