The study reveals the relationship between musical preferences and our internal moral compass

new Stadypublished in One plusDiscover a remarkable relationship between individuals’ musical preferences and their moral values, shedding new light on the profound impact music can have on our moral compass.

The investigation, led by a team of scientists from Queen Mary University of London and ISI in Turin, Italy, used machine learning techniques to analyze the lyrics and audio characteristics of individuals’ favorite songs, revealing a complex interplay between music and morality.

“Our study provides compelling evidence that musical preferences can serve as a window into an individual’s moral values,” said Dr. Charalambos Saitis, one of the study’s senior authors and professor of digital music processing at Queen’s University’s School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science. University of Mary in London.

The study included an existing dataset of more than 1,400 participants who completed psychometric questionnaires to assess their moral values ​​and provided information about their favorite artists through Facebook page likes. The researchers then extracted the vocal and lyrical characteristics of each participant’s top five songs by their favorite artists.

Using machine learning algorithms, the team analyzed the extracted features to predict participants’ moral values. Various text processing techniques, including lexicon-based methods and BERT-based embeddings, have been used to analyze narratives, moral values, feelings and emotions in song lyrics. Additionally, low- and high-level audio features provided by the Spotify API were used to understand the information encoded in participants’ musical choices, enhancing moral inferences.

The results showed that a combination of lyrical and vocal traits outperformed basic demographic information in predicting individuals’ moral compass. Specifically, musical elements such as pitch and timbre emerged as significant predictors of values ​​of care and justice, while feelings and emotions expressed in lyrics were more effective in predicting traits of loyalty, authority, and purity.

“Our findings reveal that music is not just a source of entertainment or aesthetic pleasure; it is also a powerful medium that reflects and shapes our moral sensibilities,” noted Vjosa Brennicki, lead author of the study and a doctoral student at Queen Mary’s Center for Doctoral Training in Data-Informed and Audience-Centered Media Engineering. “.

“By understanding this connection, we can open new horizons for music-based interventions that promote positive moral development.”

The implications of the study go beyond mere academic curiosity, and have the potential to impact the way we approach and use music in different aspects of life. “Our discovery could pave the way for applications ranging from personalized music experiences to innovative music therapy and communications campaigns,” commented Dr. Kyriaki Calimiri, co-lead author of the study and a researcher at ISI.

“Our research has revealed an important link between music and morality, paving the way for a deeper understanding of the psychological dimensions of our musical experiences,” Vjosa-Brennicki concluded. “We are excited to continue exploring this rich and uncharted area.”

This study was conducted using data from Facebook’s LikeYouth app, a research-focused survey tool that included more than 64,000 participants, mostly in Italy. Participants provided voluntary, informed consent and completed several psychological surveys, including the Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ), as well as sharing demographic details and Facebook page likes.