We often have stereotypical images of rockers as rebellious, classical music fans as quiet and modest, and lovers of rap as loquacious and outgoing. But is it really true that our musical tastes reveal our personality? According to a recent research from a university in Edinburgh, it is.

Professor North, one of the researchers, says that people often express their identity through the kind of music they listen to, the kind of clothes they wear and their hobbies and interests. So, it is not surprising that people’s taste in music says something about their personality. The researchers interviewed more than 36,000 participants from around the world, asked them about their musical tastes, and gave them personality tests. But did the research prove that our stereotypical images are right? Here are some of the results: (1) lovers of indie music are not very confident, gentle or hard-working, but they are very creative; (2) country and western fans are hard-working and not shy; (3) rap fans are outgoing and confident; (4) fans of pop songs are not creative, but are hard-working, gentle and outgoing; and (5) the best fans to be are soul fans, because they are creative, confident, outgoing and gentle.

Perhaps the most surprising result was that classical music fans and heavy metal fans have very similar personalities. People think of heavy metal fans as being very sad and unhappy. But like classical fans, they are in fact easy-going and creative, and not very outgoing. Professor North also says that the results explain why so many people are good friends with people who like the same music. Heavy metal fans in Sweden have more in common with heavy metal fans in Brazil than with, say, Swedish fans of pop.

The results also explain that, since music is likely to be closely connected to our personalities, some of us are very passionate about what we listen to. However, the research does not say what people who listen to lots of different types of music are like. Perhaps they are perfectly balanced. So, what does your music say about you?