In a previous article by Psychology and Mind, we were able to learn about a study that linked the preference for certain musical styles with the tendency to have a certain personality profile. In the study we are discussing today, Virgil Griffith, an American software creator and application developer, set out to investigate the link between people’s musical tastes and their academic performance. The conclusions of the study were collected in the dossier “Music That Makes You Dumb ” (Music that makes you stupid).
The results of this detailed analysis were found after crossing the average rate in the university entrance tests of students with the music they published and shared on the social network Facebook As we see, an unscientific methodology, but it is worth echoing the results found, not even as a first stone towards new research that evaluates the relationship between these two variables: intelligence and musical preferences.
Rock for smart people and reggaeton for dummies?
As the results show, the young students who obtained poorer grades They were the ones who liked to listen to musical artists like **Lil Wayne, The Used, Beyoncé or Jay-**Z, with the genres of Hip Hop and Reggaeton being the most commonly listened to by this type of students. On the other hand, those who obtained a brilliant grade in the entrance exam were crossed with the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven
Within the sector with high ratings, musical bands such as U2, Counting Crows, The Shins, Bob Dylan or the british Radiohea****d Following closely this outstanding list of groups, Coldplay or Red Hot Chili Peppers
The musical tastes of the average students (those who did not stand out for better or worse, the average students) included groups such as Pearl Jam, System of a Down the legendary Australians AC/DC, Oasis or The Doors The author of the study visually classified all the data in a table that was published on his website, and which we offer you below.
Discussion
Certainly, the methodology of the study is questionable. First of all, the study was presented in the media as the correlation found between the variables intelligence and musical tastesWhen really the research did not rigorously measure any of them Regarding the first, it should be noted that establishing a total symmetry between intelligence and academic performance is quite imprecise. Regarding the second, it is likely that what we share on Facebook is not a reliable criterion to measure our tastes and preferences.
Furthermore, it should be explained that, obviously, there is no scientific evidence that allows us to say that there is a certain type of music that makes us “smarter” or “dumber.” It is a statistical question, mere correlation. We will have to continue investigating to see to what extent there is some kind of relationship between the level of intelligence and the preference for one or another musical groups.
