Individual differences in music consumption are predicted by uses of music and age rather than emotional intelligence, neuroticism, extraversion or openness.

Abstract

The current study examined the association of different uses of music, music consumption, and individual differences in personality, trait emotional intelligence, and demographics. A total of 535 British participants completed a battery of scales including the Uses of Music Inventory, the International Personality Item Pool, and the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (Short-Form), a novel scale designed to assess music consumption, and provided their demographic details. Results showed significant positive effects of all music uses factors, as well as negative effects of age, onto music consumption. In addition, effects of Neuroticism on emotional music use and Openness on cognitive music use were replicated, though the hypotheses of a positive effect of Extraversion onto background music use or trait EI onto emotional use of music were not supported. Results are discussed in terms of their applied implications for consumer research, as well as their theoretical implications with regard to the psychology of musical preferences.