Music preference refers to the extent to which a person likes a particular kind of music over another. Why do we like the music we do? Where do our music preferences come from? The following are some of the main psychological factors that underlie people’s music preferences (Zatorre, 2023).

Identity motive. Our taste in music, film, art, coffee, and dress represents one of the essential features of who we are (Lidskog, 2016). People are drawn to musical styles that validate their self-perceptions and communicate that information to others. For example, listening to innovative music can serve to communicate the belief that one is creative and unconventional. And changes in preferences can be seen as a change in who we are because they affect how others view us. This change might also forge social bonds with groups or people who hold the same musical (or aesthetic) preferences we endorse.

Reminiscence bump. Musical preferences tend to form in late adolescence and persist........

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