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    Default Music Preferences vs IQ

    I ran across this somewhat interesting story ... from

    (snip)For the last several years, a software application writer by the name of Virgil Griffith has charted musical tastes based on the average SAT scores of various college institutions. For example, students attending the California Institute of Technology have an average SAT score of 1520. By looking at Facebook to determine the most popular (or — “liked”) band of students at Cal Tech, Griffith was able to conclude that Radiohead really truly is music for smart people. A highly scientific study, I know.(snip)




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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    interesting that of all the circles for genre Gospel is associated with lower SAT scores more than other genres.

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    Quote Originally Posted by Heid009 View Post
    interesting that of all the circles for genre Gospel is associated with lower SAT scores more than other genres.
    That seems expected.

    I found it funny that death cab for cutie was a slightly higher range than its lead singer's electronic side project (the postal service). Also this data seems pretty old, given that many of the groups and artists on this list were popular from the early 2000s and writing was added to the sat i in 2005 (increasing the maximum possible score from 1600 to 2400).

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    ^yes it was what I would have expected^

    But still interesting..... This quote from True Detective comes to mind: 'religion is a lingual virus whic diminishes the capacity for critical thinking' or something like that :-)

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    from the same story ...

    (snip)Bob Dylan, The Shins, Radiohead, and Counting Crows are the favorite bands of smart people. Meanwhile, Lil Wayne, Beyoncé, The Used, and gospel music comes in at the lower end of the spectrum — or, as Griffith puts it, is music for dumb people.(snip)

    I would reiterate the original article's point that this 'study' is FAR from being scientific !!!

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    I've read claims that tests like the SAT (and IQ tests, actually) are skewed to favor people from certain socioeconomic (and because of that, often racial) backgrounds. So it's interesting that hip-hop and rap fall pretty low on the chart.

    Most of the music I like suggests I'm dumb, or at most on the lower side of average. But phooey on that, I got a 2260 on my SATs (1460 in points out of 1600 terms). I will vomit if someone tries to put Sufjan Stevens on while I'm in the room, though.

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    Would be interesting to see the ages, races, and locations that gave them the results of this study. Seems like they imply things without giving supportive evidence.

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    Quote Originally Posted by fishielicious View Post
    I've read claims that tests like the SAT (and IQ tests, actually) are skewed to favor people from certain socioeconomic (and because of that, often racial) backgrounds. So it's interesting that hip-hop and rap fall pretty low on the chart.
    .
    yes and this study is obviously no exception. although i have heard that they did a study on what kinds of music actually made people score better on tests ( regardless of their personal tastes)..and it was mozart..but then they went back and said that any music a person enjoyed would make them score better.

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    Hmmm, idk about this. I know plenty of wealthy men who love hip hop. Especially Jay Z and Kanye West.

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    ^Wealthy does not equal smart.

    I love Sufjan Stevens, but I'm not sure how well I'd do on the SAT since I've never taken it :/

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    From my experience, a lot more wealthy guys hate Jay-Z than love him. But wealth and intelligence are two very different things. And it's been years since I hung out in NYC.

    I used to loathe and abhor Jay-Z, until I discovered some of the remixes--and what a surprise, I love those remixes! Still hate his original songs though he he.

    It actually makes a great deal of sense that the most commonly viewed music videos would be most popular with people who preferred watching television to reading books. Watching television being a passive activity, requiring little or no thought whatsoever. But I am biased, I cannot stand music videos, even quite often the songs that I otherwise love.


    I have also seen a lot of older guys lie through their teeth about what music they like, when some hot younger woman says she likes those songs.
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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    I also think it's funny as hell that Lil' Wayne ranks 'lowest'. Unlike most DJs I know, I like most of his stuff a lot (though I know better than to ever watch the videos). But neither he, nor Jay-Z, nor most other rappers, are what I would call articulate--not by a long shot. However it isn't the lyrics I like, except 'Gunwalk' my favorite Lil Wayne song. It's the rhythm.
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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    ^^Maybe most of the rappers you can think of aren't "articulate" because they're popular... and just about any popular artist you can list isn't articulate. I'd argue someone like Jay-Z (even though I'm not a fan, either) or TI is far more articulate than someone like Miley Cyrus or Katy Perry (even if I like Katy Perry). But popular rappers like Nas and the guys from Outkast, despite ranking in the lower and average portions of this chart, are incredibly articulate, poetic, and clever lyrically. I would say more so than just about any other equally popular artist you could list.

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    That is weird that people who listen to gospel would be the dumbest. To me the dumbest music is country, hip hop and pop. Talking about today's music, not old school hip hop, country or pop. This study is strange but then again my tastes are really across the board. I do like Radiohead, but also Sufjian and many of the artists listed. Okay how could classical score so low but Beethoven so high?

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    Outkast do actually have better lyrics than by far most rappers--or cheezy teeny bopper pop icons.

    I definitely don't see Jay-Z or TI being any more articulate than Miley Cyrus though. Which isn't saying much, because she is emphatically not articulate.

    The vast majority of popular music has little or no literary value whatsoever, IMO. It makes me cringe when I see someone like Kanye or Drake described as being 'poets'. So maybe I am the wrong person to be posting about a psuedo-scientific study such as this.
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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    I like OutKast a lot. I'm generally don't like most hip hop today but do like them. Miley sucks though. Actually most suck. Not long ago on a reality show they had some singer (to use it loosely)who basically jumped around on stage.

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    Now the study I'd like to see is the IQ as it lines up with music that people hate.


    There's a lot of music some very intelligent people swear is poetry defined that I cannot abide. Billy Joel or Elton John and I have to leave the club/house/party.

    Also, just because someone is intelligent, doesn't mean they can't dance to mindless catchy stuff once in a while.
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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    Very true. I have been tested and do have a higher than average IQ. I also have a MA degree, but didn't stop me from dancing to silly bubblegum pop from the 70's a few times. Ironically I just got Billy Joel and Elton John CD's from the library.

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    I'm surprised Tool isn't higher up on the scale. I can't take this graph seriously. I don't think there's a real connection between intelligence and music preference, as I've known very intelligent people (inventor/scientist types) who like pop music & hip hop, and dumber people (low IQ) who like Radiohead. If there is any connection, then it must be in the lyric content. Tool's lyrics are very intelligent, yet they are in the middle of the scale. Makes no sense. I call hogwash. You just can't base intelligence on music preference, it's too elitist and prejudiced to think this way.
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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    Quote Originally Posted by Kellydancer View Post
    Okay how could classical score so low but Beethoven so high?
    It's just based on Facebook "likes," so people who "like" classical are probably dumb people who don't really listen to it and just heard Clair de Lune in a commercial one time.

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    The "lowest" one I like is Beyonce, but the "highest" ones I like are U2 and Beethoven. Still, I find this graphic severely lacking because it ONLY features acts who sing in English. Ludacris shows in the lower end but he's hardly a dummy: he's one of the few rappers with education above high school (that he attained prior to becoming a celebrity). Lil Wayne didn't finish his undergrad at U of H, and that doesn't speak highly of him. Shakira was not featured in here, and she has some incredibly intelligent songs (read, her older stuff that's mostly in Spanish).

    Brad Paisley and Keith Urban are like the only country acts that are worth a damn listed in here: unlike most of the acts featured, they also write most of their lyrics and/or music...and they can actually play guitar. However, Brad made a pretty stupid song (Accidental racist), which is shameful. Also, most of their following involve women who simply think of them as being hot and don't really care about their guitar playing skills, which is sad: there aren't THAT many mainstream guitar players these days that are worth a damn, and Brad and Keith are some of them. Johnny Cash was another fantastic country act, but he was also one of the precursors of alt-country so he was able to reach a very wide audience, which means he was a different "animal" than Brad and Keith. As someone who enjoys country, I'd say that the real problem with country music is not always the music itself but the fans and the very vocal country celebrities who feel they should have a political and/or religions opinion on everything (I'm looking at y'all, Justin Moore, Hank II, and Sara Evans).

    Beethoven is awesome: I loooooove his 6th and 9th symphonies. The 6th one is perfect for when I play with my son, and the 9th sounds cool...and it's also used a lot for BGM.

    Last but not least: using Facebook "ilkes" and SAT scores for a study it's hardly scientific. SAT scores really don't mean anything in terms of measuring intelligence: it just means who was able to afford an SAP prep course.


    I really, really, REALLY hate Radiohead.

    I like rap and hip hop as well...but only if it's the funny kind, like Lonely Island or ERBH (Epic Rap Battles of History).
    Last edited by Jay12; 10-25-2014 at 01:35 PM. Reason: Format, spelling.





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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    Quote Originally Posted by NightGoddess View Post
    ^Wealthy does not equal smart.
    Agree, but the ones I personally know are.

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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    People are taking this pretty seriously. The original data was gathered by someone who knows this process wasn't scientific and simply found it amusing.


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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    I wasn't offended by this graph or anything. And yeah, it is amusing and not to be taken seriously. I didn't mean to come off as being "too serious" or offended or anything of the sort. "Life's too short to be pissed off all the time."

    More intelligent bands/artists:

    Pink Floyd
    Yes
    Porcupine Tree
    Rush
    Lupe Fiasco

    ......I'm a lil' stoned, so I can't think of more right now....lol

    I will say, in all seriousness, that there is a connection between intelligence (or lack thereof) and religious music.
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    Default Re: Music Preferences vs IQ

    It's interesting that techno is in the low middle range, considering the techno/house genres are all about playing around with rhythm and tempo. Excluding Beethoven, it seems like in terms of song structure there's a bit of a spike in the middle of the graph...
    Last edited by MyButter; 10-27-2014 at 05:50 AM.

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