The interplay of personal values and uses of music in explaining music listener preferences

Abstract

Ample evidence suggests that people prefer types of music that allow them to portray an image to others, yet less is known about the process through which listeners’ characteristics influence musical preferences. This study, therefore, examined the association between values and musical preferences, and whether uses of music mediate, at least in part, this association in a sample of 364 participants. Multiple regressions revealed that values contributed differentially to the prediction of musical preferences. We also found that cognitive use of music partially mediated the association between openness to change values and preferences for music emphasizing both complexity and rebelliousness. Moreover, the association between conservation values, as well as self-transcendence values, and a preference for music emphasizing positive emotions was partially mediated by emotional use of music. These findings underscore the importance of accounting for specific uses of music when examining how musical preferences express the values of its listeners.