Whether by playing our music loudly for others to hear, wearing clothing emblazoned with our favourite band’s name, or sharing our preferences publicly on social media, music is often used as a vehicle for self expression. But does music carry valid information about us? Do our preferences reveal anything about who we really are?

This presentation will discuss recent psychological research about musical preferences and self-expression. Considerable evidence indicates that musical preferences have a psychological basis. That is, our motivations, values, and personalities influence which styles of music we like. And it turns out that people are surprisingly good at inferring aspects of who we are from the music we like.

Presented with Native Instruments and the SHAPE platform, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.