A Study on the Correlation Between Teenagers’ Pop Music Preferences and Big Five Personality Traits

Abstract

This study takes senior three students from an international high school in China as the research objects. Combined with the Big Five Personality theory and related researches on music preferences, it uses the questionnaire survey method to explore the correlation between contemporary high school students' pop music preferences and their personality traits. A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed in this study, and 165 valid questionnaires were collected. All respondents are high school students on campus, which is highly consistent with the author's own experience. The study finds that there is a significant correlation between high school students' music preferences and personality traits: students who prefer K-pop and electronic music have higher extraversion scores; students who prefer Chinese style music, Chinese pop music and classical music have higher conscientiousness and agreeableness scores; students who prefer rap, rock and indie music have higher openness scores and lower emotional stability scores at the same time. In addition, factors such as streaming media algorithm recommendation, further study and exam pressure, and fan culture also have an impact on high school students' music choices and personality expression. This study explains the correlation between music and personality in easy-to-understand language for high school students, and provides a reference for peers to adjust exam emotions and understand themselves and others through music.