Can you discern a persons nature from the genre of classical music they like ?

[Jo498]

The tribalism is obvious in popular music.
In classical, it is slightly different, but without a doubt it can be used for distinction. Listening to classical at all puts you in a minority. And within classical you can further distinguish refined and specialized taste by listening to music (or interpretations) far from the perceived mainstream. Everybody listens to Beethoven and Chopin but if you rather listen to Ligetis Etudes or the Fitzwilliam Virginal book you show your own special taste in music.

[The new erato]

..... but if you rather listen to Ligetis Etudes or the Fitzwilliam Virginal book you show your own special taste in music.

I listen to that, but I also listen to Vanilla Fudge, Emmerich Kalman, Guillaume Dufay and Jerome Kern. I cannot even discern my own personality from that playlist.

[Florestan]

How about the connection of art and classical music ?
On this forum there's a choice of avatars to choose from, one of those choices is art. Now what on earth has that to do with music? Obviously  people who make an account like to pick pictures of art but why ? I don't see this trend on any other forum

Well, music itself is an art, to begin with.

Secondly, some of the people who are into classical music are also into other arts, like painting, for instance.

Thirdly, there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of paintings whose theme is music and musicmaking.

So there.

[Florestan]

I listen to that, but I also listen to Vanilla Fudge, Emmerich Kalman, Guillaume Dufay and Jerome Kern. I cannot even discern my own personality from that playlist.

You have multiple personality disorder... 

EDIT: I like Biber, Boccherini and Bartok. I can hardly wait for someone to tell me, based only on that information, how I am: hardworking or lazy, gentle or rude, high self-esteem or low self-esteem, intravert or extravert, at ease or not at ease... Neal, give it a try, it should be fun. 

[The new erato]

You have multiple personality disorder... 

You should know how many of the posters in here that are me....

[Karl Henning]

Well, music itself is an art, to begin with.

Secondly, some of the people who are into classical music are also into other arts, like painting, for instance.

Thirdly, there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of paintings whose theme is music and musicmaking.

So there.

Some musicians who painted . . .

Geo. Gershwin & Arnold Schoenberg

[Florestan]

Some musicians who painted . . .

Geo. Gershwin & Arnold Schoenberg

Mendelssohn too.

[The new erato]

A very interesting statement.  I'm in partial agreement, but I wonder about some of the terms.  It is not quite what you are saying, but I doubt (let's say for sake of discussion) that prejudice is "hard-wired" in us.  We are certainly apt to learn specific prejudices from our environment, and there is a mentally natural tendency to categorize, and not to closely examine every article that comes into view.  But offhand, I do not see why any given, unimpaired individual cannot develop mental and behavioral habits of examining, questioning and (where necessary) defeating prejudices.

You should read Kahneman's book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" for an insight into our thought processes and how we use stereotypes to conserve energy in thinking. The most extraordinary and mindexpanding book I've read for quite some years.

[Karl Henning]

You should read Kahneman's book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" for an insight into our thought processes and how we use stereotypes to conserve energy in thinking. The most extraordinary and mindexpanding book I've read for quite some years.

Thanks for this suggestion, too!

[Karl Henning]

I like atonal honking!

[some guy]

Prejudice (not just sexism or about sexual orientation but across everything) seems an integral part of the human condition, with the use of stereotypes to make quick judgements.  And it's one of the proofs to me that the human mind isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be.  It's very tribal, and so limited in many ways.  And what's funny as well as how we want to understand large things like the universe and yet we don't even fully understand ourselves.

This seems a very curious remark indeed, since it illustrates the kind of thinking being deprecated. "People are prejudiced" is the same kind of statement as "Women are inferior" or "Blacks are thugs."

"The human mind" is as empty of meaning as this shell here on my table is empty of walnut. Only difference is that my shell did at one time have a walnut in it.

Indeed, this whole post is crammed full of the use of stereotypes to make judgements. (Dunno about the "quick" part, so I deleted that. ) "Younger people" and "people" are both used this way, large generalizations about which practically any judgement could be made, at practically any speed. There's even the very curious "people who are insecure" category, which logically enough is full of individuals who do things in order to feel secure.

[Todd]

You should read Kahneman's book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" for an insight into our thought processes and how we use stereotypes to conserve energy in thinking.

One of my favorite T-shirts.

[Karl Henning]

Hah!

[Purusha]

Right. And Hitler likes Wagner and Beethoven, does that tell you anything? And does liking Wagner and/or Beethoven make you a neo-Nazi?

That depends on how much "Judaism" you got:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ1u9Fno3jU



BTW, i have it on good authority that if you enjoy opera it means you must be gay. Therefore, Hitler was gay.

[mc ukrneal]

You have multiple personality disorder... 

EDIT: I like Biber, Boccherini and Bartok. I can hardly wait for someone to tell me, based only on that information, how I am: hardworking or lazy, gentle or rude, high self-esteem or low self-esteem, intravert or extravert, at ease or not at ease... Neal, give it a try, it should be fun. 

But that is not in the spirit of the question. In any case, I don't know. Did you look at the wiki link? I thought some of the traits described were interesting.

It seems to me that the your issue with all this is that you don't like the idea that someone could draw some conclusions about you from this type of information. I could be wrong, but that seems to me to be the gist of the objection based on your comments here.

[Florestan]

It seems to me that the your issue with all this is that you don't like the idea that someone could draw some conclusions about you from this type of information. I could be wrong, but that seems to me to be the gist of the objection based on your comments here.

It´s not that I don´t like, it´s only that I defy anyone to draw conclusions about anyone else´s character traits based solely and only on what classical music genre they like.

For instance, I know that you are an Offenbach fan, an opera fan and an Opera Rara series fan. Does this entitle me to draw any conclusion about your character traits? Absolutely not, I have not the slightest idea about what kind of person you are.

[Ken B]

But that is not in the spirit of the question. In any case, I don't know. Did you look at the wiki link? I thought some of the traits described were interesting.

It seems to me that the your issue with all this is that you don't like the idea that someone could draw some conclusions about you from this type of information. I could be wrong, but that seems to me to be the gist of the objection based on your comments here.

This is the basis of a lot of resistance and discomfort with "big data". Mine too, btw. It's disconcerting to know that some piece of software can grind away at huge amounts of data and then make accurate conclusions about you. It's creepy. Google probably knows more about what kind of vacation you want than your best friend does.

(Off topic but worth noting. A lot of discussion of markets in health care assume that adverse selection is a major factor. This was true 60 years ago. It is not obvious anymore. Google can know a hell of a lot about your health.)

[Ken B]

It´s not that I don´t like, it´s only that I defy anyone to draw conclusions about anyone else´s character traits based solely and only on what classical music genre they like.

For instance, I know that you are an Offenbach fan, an opera fan and an Opera Rara series fan. Does this entitle me to draw any conclusion about your character traits? Absolutely not, I have not the slightest idea about what kind of person you are.

Yeah, but that's not Neal's contention. He's talking about broader, vaguer correlations that might none the less be meaningful.

[Florestan]

broader, vaguer

When it comes to flesh-and-blood human beings, vaguer and broader means nothing. Absolutely nothing.

[Todd]

It´s not that I don´t like, it´s only that I defy anyone to draw conclusions about anyone else´s character traits based solely and only on what classical music genre they like.

The studies presented so far have not shown anything meaningful.  I've yet to see anything posted here that shows any scientific link between listening habits and something as intrinsically unscientific as character.  This is markedly different, by the way, from using so-called big data to predict purchasing patterns or other observable consumer behavior.  Character isn't so easily quantified, or monetized.

I must also relay a little anecdote, and it is one occurs with some regularity for me.  Yesterday I was discussing weekend plans with a coworker, and I mentioned that I'm heading out of town to see an opera.  The person replied with some surprise that I do not seem like the opera type.  (Perhaps he had read the study cited earlier.)  People who meet me and get to know me in person are always surprised when they learn that I am a classical music fan.  I guess I do not fit the stereotypes they cling to.