Researchers identified three dimensions of music that relate to personality and brain stimulation

A 2016 study led by David Greenberg at the University of Cambridge examined how musical preferences connect to personality. Researchers had 76 people without musical training evaluate over 100 song fragments based on 38 characteristics. This process identified three core dimensions of music: arousal, ranging from intense to soothing; mood, ranging from joyful to sad; and depth, ranging from poetic to danceable.

The research team also analyzed Facebook users who rated 50 musical fragments and completed personality tests. The study sought to move beyond genre labels to understand how specific musical qualities interact with individual traits.