The interplay of personal values and uses of music in explaining music listener preferences

Abstract

Ample evidence suggests that people prefer types of music that allow them to portray an image to others, yet less is known about the process through which listeners’ characteristics influence musical preferences. This study, therefore, examined the association between values and musical preferences, and whether uses of music mediate, at least in part, this association in a sample of 364 participants. Multiple regressions revealed that values contributed differentially to the prediction of musical preferences. We also found that cognitive use of music partially mediated the association between openness to change values and preferences for music emphasizing both complexity and rebelliousness. Moreover, the association between conservation values, as well as self-transcendence values, and a preference for music emphasizing positive emotions was partially mediated by emotional use of music. These findings underscore the importance of accounting for specific uses of music when examining how musical preferences express the values of its listeners.

Psychological Perspectives on Musical Experiences and Skills

“…Tekman et al (2012) also discovered that Openness was a positive predictor of the Sophisticated musical preference. The relationship between Openness to new experiences and an interest in sophisticated musical genres is well established in research on personality and musical preferences (Manolika & Baltzis, 2021;Rentfrow & Gosling, 2003). However, we did not find a correlation between a preference for sophisticated and complex music and the Self-transcendence higher-order value (Universalism and Benevolence) revealed by the Greek and Turkish research ( Gardikiotis & Baltzis, 2012;Tekman et al, 2012).…”

“…This suggests that further examinations of the adolescent population are needed with an international perspective. Furthermore, such investigations should consider values and take into account the specific role of music as a protective factor ( Krnjaić et al, 2023;Stepanović Ilić et al, in press), as well as the utilisation of music in relation to emotions, as advocated by contemporary literature in this field (Manolika & Baltzis, 2021). This aspect is particularly significant in adolescence, which is commonly considered a sensitive period with intensive emotional growth ( Krstić, 2016;.…”

6. Adolescent Musical Preferences and their Relationship with Schwartz’s Basic Values

“…This suggests that further examinations of the adolescent population are needed with an international perspective. Furthermore, such investigations should consider values and take into account the specific role of music as a protective factor ( Krnjaić et al, 2023;Stepanović Ilić et al, in press), as well as the utilisation of music in relation to emotions, as advocated by contemporary literature in this field (Manolika & Baltzis, 2021). This aspect is particularly significant in adolescence, which is commonly considered a sensitive period with intensive emotional growth ( Krstić, 2016;Videnović et al, 2010;Videnović et al, 2018).…”

Determining the role of music attitude and its precursors in stimulating the psychological wellbeing of immigrants during COVID quarantine – a moderated mediation approach

“…Fifth, this study signifies that during COVID or quarantine time, there are certain different factors, i.e., MEX (cognitive/personal), SPI (environmental), and NM (cultural), which may collectively influence individuals' mental peacefulness/psychological wellbeing via their attitude toward music. Generally, the author found scarce studies that examine the combined effect of cognitive (Rose et al, 2019;Manolika and Baltzis, 2022), environmental (Susino and Schubert, 2017;Elvers et al, 2018), and cultural factors Musgrave (2022) on individuals' music attitudes, which may bring forth positive stimulation in individuals' psychological wellbeing, particularly during the COVID quarantine period.…”