Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I wanted to know if there is any kind of science behind musical taste. Is there a reason why people like certain types of music over other kinds of music? An example would be someone who enjoys listening to Heavy Metal but finds Classical music boring. Is there any kind of scientific way to explain why?

Hi Joshua,

This is a very intriguing question, and one that does have scientific backing. A quick Google search allowed me to find a few sources, but see the Wikipedia link below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycholog ... preference

This article cites several papers with groups performing this type of research and analyzing many different variables to correlate with interest in different types of music.

Are you trying to set up a science project about this? If so, take a look at some of the research that has been done and try to formulate a hypothesis. We can help with setting up a project if that is what you are interested in doing.

Best,
PharmaMan