Practice makes perfect, so the saying goes. But does this really apply to music? Aside from practicing an instrument, we must also and above all count on our personality, suggests a new UK study.
Psychologists at the University of Cambridge and Goldsmiths University in the UK have identified the personality traits of openness and candidness as predictors of musical expertise.
Previous studies have shown that a certain number of hours and lots of practice are required to become an expert in any field. However, scientists agree that other factors also come into play. That is also the conclusion of David Greenberg, the lead author of this study, and his team who recruited over 7000 volunteers, in partnership with the BBC, to undertake one of the biggest studies so far on this subject.
The researchers tested each volunteer on their musical ability, including melodic memory and rhythm perception. The results were then compared with the volunteers' results from the Big Five psychological model, which assesses a person based on 5 key personality traits:
- Openness to experience (appreciation for art, emotion, curiosity and imagination)
- Conscientiousness (self-discipline, acting dutifully)
- Extraversion (energy and positive emotions)
- Agreeableness (tendency to be compassionate and cooperative)
- Neuroticism (the opposite of emotional stability, anger, anxiety, and depression).
They discovered that, aside from musical experience, the best indicator of musical talent was personality, and most notably openness. The participants who obtained a high score for this personality trait were more open to new things, the team noted, whereas those who got a very low score preferred routine and had more conventional values.
The team also noted that extraversion was linked to a degree of talent for singing.
They concluded that links between personality and musical performance could be identified, even with the participants who were non-musicians.
David Greenberg said that these results are particularly important for teachers and educators "who can use information about their student's personality to see who might be most successful in varied musical activities." He added
"One day, science may be able to identify the personality, cognitive, and neurobiological factors that lead to musical genius."
This article follows a number of studies in which the author previously linked musical behavior with personality.
This study was published in the Oct. 13 edition of the Journal of Research in Personality.