shakes head at psychology

What kind of study is this? Classical to Rap: Music lovers have much more in common than you would think:

People who listen to indie bands are miserable shaggy-haired layabouts, while fans of rap music are bold, brash and brimming with self-confidence.

Rather than mere narrow- minded stereotyping, these are the results of an extensive psychological survey of more than 36,000 music lovers, which confirms, once and for all, that our musical tastes really do reflect our personality. But the study’s most remarkable discovery is that refined lovers of classical music share a high number of personality traits with those who prefer rocking out to heavy metal.

The research, by the department of psychology at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, asked people worldwide to describe their personality, and then to list their favourite musical genres. The results show a distinct correlation between people’s personality traits and the style of music they enjoy.

I hope this is an extreme case of journalistic laziness. I would hope that at the very least, that last sentence should read:

The results show a distinct correlation between people’s [the] personality traits [people claim to possess] and the style of music they [claim to] enjoy [the most].

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