Why do we have preferences for musical genres? Why can some people not stand listening to certain genres of music?
Preferences for musical genres are mostly driven by social identity [1]. Music is part of who we are, and people are drawn to musical styles that validate their self-perceptions and communicate that information to others [2]. Musical preferences tend to form in late adolescence and persist throughout adulthood, and the music we listen to during our early teens creates a strong nostalgia in later years [3]. However, as people get older, their music preference changes [3]. Exposure effects also shape our musical preferences, as we tend to prefer the music that we are most familiar with [4]. However, increased exposure to stimuli may result in habituation or less liking over time [4].
People have preferences for musical genres because music fulfills three important psychological functions [2]. First, music can help combat boredom and achieve optimum levels of attention while driving, studying, or working [1][2]. Second, music can stimulate intellectual curiosity by allowing us to concentrate and analyze what we are hearing [2]. Finally, music can manipulate our own emotional state to achieve a desired mood such as happiness, excitement, or sadness [2]. Although musical preferences may have racial or cultural undertones, these preferences do not have a genetic basis since race is not genetically determined [3]. Indeed, musical diversity is a manifestation of our cultural diversity and not our racial makeup [3]. By engaging in music, humans articulate their humanness and humanity [3].