How does music influence a person's personality? It seems apparent that musical preference plays a role in determining one's persona, but how does this correlation occur? Musical preference can sometimes influence a person's wardrobe, attitude, and even their outlook on life, however this proves too be much more prevalent in adolescents than it does in adults, which is due to the fact that young people invest more time and effort into music than adults do (Bonneville-Roussy, Rentfrow, Xu, & Potter, 2013, p. 1). According to Bonneville-Roussy, et al., there is a considerable amount of evidence that suggests that musical engagement and preference have a psychological basis. A majority of the research in this field conveys the idea that music demonstrates and reinforces people's psychological, biological, and social needs. Music is a vehicle for self-discovery, self-regulation and self-expression for most young people, and studies consistently show that adolescents place more importance on music than other hobbies, significantly so (as cited in Rentfrow, 2012).
According to Langmeyer, Guglhör-Rudan and Tarnai, individual distinction in musical preference and personality
have been analyzed throughout the years with a variety of methods (as cited in Dunn, 2009). As stated by Langmeyer, et al., the first comprehensive measure of musical preference, the "Short Test of Music Preferences" or STOMP, has been implemented since 2003 by Rentfrow and Gosling. Out of fourteen overall rated music genres, four general dimensions were identified using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. These four generalizations were; Reflective and Complex, which pertained to Blues, Jazz, Classical and Folk music; Intense and Rebellious, which pertained to Rock, Alternative and, Heavy Metal music; Upbeat and Conventional, which pertained to Country, Soundtracks, Religious, and Pop music; as well as Energetic and Rhythmic, which pertained to Rap, Hip-Hop, Soul, and Electronic music (Langmeyer et al. p. 120).