Individual differences in the expression and experience of curiosity are reflected in patterns of music preferences and appreciation

Over two studies, we examined the extent to which individual differences in the experience and expression of curiosity are reflected in patterns of music preferences and appreciation. In Study 1, we investigated whether differences in trait curiosity profiles are associated with distinct patterns of preferences for commonly heard music genres, while in Study 2, we asked whether these profiles predict the degree of enjoyment of, and interest in, music from non-Western cultures. We were able to produce clusters similar to the four curiosity profile subgroups previously reported in the literature and show that the subgroup lowest in the experience and expression of curiosity (referred to as the Avoiders) displayed the least appreciation of music, regardless of genre dimension and cultural origin. In contrast, we showed that two subgroups, characterised by relatively high levels of social curiosity and deprivation sensitivity displayed the greatest liking of commonly heard music genres, while the subgroup highest in acceptance of novelty-related stress and uncertainty (referred to as the Fascinated) demonstrated the greatest appreciation for non-Western music. Taken together, our findings extend previous work that explores links between personality and music preferences, by showing the relevance of considering individual differences in information seeking traits. Our work also demonstrates how the study of music listening behaviours may be used to enrich research into curiosity and information seeking. We recommend that future studies seek to include additional ecologically valid measures of music preferences (e.g., patterns of music streaming activity) in any attempts to corroborate and/ or extend these findings.