Relationships Between Individuals' Mood, Introvert-Extrovert Personality Traits, and Music Preferences

Abstract

The present study is the second extended version of a previous study conducted between 2017 and 2018. The present study aimed to assess the daily music-listening habits and subsequent emotional reactions of young adults (N = 1457) studying at various universities in Turkey according to their immediate mood and introvert (n = 247) or extrovert (n = 282) personality traits according to certain variables. The study group was composed of 794 women (54.5%) and 663 men (45.5%), with a mean ace of 22.33 (SD = 2.54, range = 17-35) years. The study was carried out online. To assess the natural tendencies and reactions with reference to the relationship among mood, music, and emotion, participants were asked to use their smartphones at a time when they felt the need to listen to music during their daily living. Music classifications were categorized under the MUSIC model developed by Rentfrow, Goldberg, and Levitin. As regards gender. women preferred the mellow - and energetic music category more than men, and men preferred the intense music category more than women. By contrast, the sense of tension felt by men after listening to music was higher than that of women. While introverts preferred both the mellow - and energetic music less than extroverts, they preferred the intense music category more. Extroverts are more oriented toward energetic and conventional types than introverts. When the music categories preferred depending on their positive and negative moods before listening to music were compared. the positive emotion scores of those who preferred sophisticated music were higher than those who preferred mellow and unpretentious ones. All findings indicate that mood was one of the determining factors of music preferences of introverts and extroverts, and data discussed were within the framework of music psychology literature.