As one who uses ‘Personality differences’ as a tool in my work (executive coaching), I can see how it can be one of the factors leading to someone’s musical preferences. And I have my own hypotheses (some in line with those in the article, and others differing/different) on this. For example, I would associate ‘Openness to Experience’ (one of the Big 5 factors) with persons who enjoy a wider variety of musical genres. And not just musical preferences, I can also correlate personality differences with how different audiophiles approach the hobby… but that’s a different topic for some other time.
However, I do see that there are other (developmental and environmental) factors which are probably as much or more influential. For example, where you grew & when, the social milieu you were exposed to, your parent’s musical preferences if they were strong, who were (and are) your peers and what they listen/ed to etc.
Also, apart from personality/temperament, mood (a shorter term individual factor) can significantly affect what kind of music one listens to at a certain point in time.
Similarly, aging (and therefore life stage) can influence one’s musical preferences.
The problem with many analytical studies/articles is that they make it sound ‘deterministic’. Human mind is anything but. All these correlations are better applied as partial and tentative conjectures in order to form a more holistic and dynamic understanding of individuality (of oneself or of others).
But any discussion is good. One valuable insight/ suggestion in this article:
“Try listening to styles of music that you don't normally prefer; research suggests that this can have a lasting positive impact on the brain".
‘Flexing’ is one common action agenda for my clients once they understand their preferences. It is also one of the common and effective developmental efforts for anyone.
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