Is there any relation between the type of music people hear and intelligence?

Hello.
I don’t have any kind of evidence for my words, but here is my go:

No, I really don’t think so. A lot of people feel that they are more sophisticated if they hear classical music. I think the only relation in “smartness” and music, is how open you are. If you refuse to hear any other kind of music than classical, then I label you dumb. Or well, just very narrowminded. Same with metal, jazz, blues etc. etc.

@OliverYoung I agree also…I think the idea that what music you listen to reflects your intelligence is deeply rooted in a perceived superiority of some social groups. So for example its a sweeping statement that the rich and well educated hear classical music therefore they deem themselves intelligent because they have acquired material wealth. Where as someone that listens to metal must be stupid because of the culture of drink, bikes, cars, different dress code etc that surrounds it.

Its just as ridiculous as presuming race determines intelligence.

And as we know from history you can have a study prove anything you want it to prove… ;)

I arrested this criminal. his IQ was 150. he loved rap music. need i say more?

An emphatic yes. But this isn’t restricted to classical music. There’s a lot of intelligent non-classical music.

Probably yes. One thing that might also be significant is the range of music a person likes.

I don’t think so. I would be curious to know whether people who prefer music stations to talk radio score higher or if some very intelligent people just have tin ears.

Well, there is no known difference between what kind of music you listen to and how smart you are. However, people who play instruments exercise parts of their brain that other people don’t use. Therefore they generally perform better in Areas like Math and English.

No. I can listen to all types of music with the exception of some really “twangy” country music and some really loud hardcore rock. Everything else is fair game and is usually dependant on my mood. I can listen to rap when I feel like dancing, classical music when I feel like chilling, or some rock when I feel like getting pumped up for a game. In my mind music is a form of art, one that can effect the recipient emotionally, physically, and spiritually so I wouldn’t agree that there is a correlation between intelligence and types of music, but rather a correlation between the type of music someone listens to and their corresponding mood.

No. I’ve known plenty of people who listen to nothing but classical music or opera for the sole purpose of trying to be “classy” or more “sophisticated.”

I don’t think you have to be smarter or more intellignt to appreciate classical music, but I do think that we might be able to make the generalization that people who are more educated generally are exposed to more types of music, including classical. Education level not to be confused with IQ.

I think a lot of it is cultural, and some depends where you live. If you grow up in NYC you are more likely to be exposed to the arts, including theatre and classical music. If you are Jewish, German, Russian, or some other European descent your parents are probably more likely to enroll you in classical disciplines like ballet, which exposes you to classical music. All of this is generalizations, which of course don’t always hold true, just generalizations not to be taken too seriously nor in too strict a sense.

In my observation, people with eclectic tastes tend to be more receptive than those that prefer fewer genres.