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Rationales and functions of disliked music: An in-depth interview study
Taren-Ida Ackermann1, Julia Merrill1,2
1Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Plos One
|February 15, 2022
Summary
This study explores reasons for disliking music, finding that dislikes are based on musical style, artist, genre, and social factors. These dislikes serve functions similar to musical likes, including identity expression and social distinction.
Area of Science:
- Psychology of Music
- Social Psychology
- Musicology
Background:
- Previous research on musical taste primarily focused on preferences.
- This study uniquely investigates disliked music and its underlying explanatory strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the reasons behind personal music dislikes.
- To identify common reference points and rationales for disliking music.
- To understand the functions of musical dislikes.
Main Methods:
- Conducted in-depth interviews with 21 participants across five age groups.
- Participants listed disliked music and provided reasons for their dislikes.
- Employed a combination of structuring content analysis and inductive category creation.
Main Results:
- Musical style, artist, and genre were the most frequent reasons for dislike.
- Dislikes were categorized into object-related (e.g., compositional aspects, lyrics), subject-related (e.g., emotional effects, self-image), and social reasons (e.g., in-group/out-group judgments).
- Participants reported emotional, physical, and social reactions to disliked music.
Conclusions:
- Musical dislikes extend beyond personal preference to include music-related and self-related reasons.
- Disliked music serves social functions similar to liked music, such as identity expression and group cohesion.
- Understanding musical dislikes provides insights into social distinction and group dynamics.
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