Musical taste can make or break a first impression. But for one Queensland researcher, what we reject is just as fascinating as the songs we embrace.

Once upon a time, a carefully curated mixtape could be the ultimate romantic gesture.

But tucked among the love songs and thoughtfully chosen tracks might have been something more revealing about its creator – and potentially enough to put a budding romance on ice.

According to music psychology researcher Amanda Krause, what we dislike about another person’s musical tastes can say as much about us as the songs we love.

And those musical prejudices can influence how we see others, the friendships we form and even our romantic prospects.

Krause, a senior lecturer at James Cook University in Townsville, has spent much of her career exploring the psychology behind our everyday interactions with music.

Her latest research suggests the genres we reject are not simply those we find unpleasant to listen to, but can reflect our personalities, emotions and sense of social identity.

“We found that aversion to music is not simply the absence of enjoyment,” Krause said.

“Instead, it appears to have a distinct psychological structure shaped by emotion, complexity, social identity and personal taste.”

Amanda Krause says our musical dislikes can be as illuminating as what we do like. Photo: AAP

The study examined the musical dislikes of 1078 people across Australia, China, Singapore and the US, asking them to rate their preferences for 49 genres.

Researchers identified five factors underlying musical aversion, with immediate displeasure and a sense that certain music did not fit a person’s identity or social world emerging as the strongest predictors of intense dislike.

In other words, someone might reject a genre not because of how it sounds, but because they don’t identify with the kind of person they imagine listens to it.

Krause said musical tastes could become a badge of identity, with people using them to signal where they belonged or, crucially, where they didn’t.

Some deliberately distanced themselves from mainstream music, while others rejected genres with cultural or social associations they found uncomfortable.

The judgments can extend to the people around us.

“It’s a common sort of dating app question of what music do you like,” Krause said, describing how people read into a potential partner’s playlists, CD collection or mixtapes.

But music’s ability to communicate identity is also one of its great strengths, helping people find common ground and forge connections.

This capacity to shape human experience fascinates Krause.

Her work in music psychology has explored everything from the significance of radio for isolated and lonely people to the benefits of communal musical experiences and the difference between actively listening to music and having it playing in the background.

Her studies reveal music is an almost universal part of the human experience, woven into daily life from our earliest encounters.

And while musical preferences can divide us, shared experiences can also bring people together.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she pointed out, people sang together from balconies, finding connection through music despite their physical separation.

Today, even sharing a playlist online can provide a sense of community.

Her research also explores how music can influence health and wellbeing, including the importance of allowing people to choose what they listen to rather than prescribing particular genres.

Music that helps one person relax might be unbearable to another.

“Some people like relaxing music to fall asleep, but I know other people who like heavy metal – maybe doesn’t work for me, but would work for other people,” Krause said.

Now she is investigating how our increasingly varied listening habits – from vinyl records to streaming services, YouTube and TikTok – shape our musical experiences.

She’s also interested in whether giving music our undivided attention, rather than treating it as background noise, might offer additional mental health benefits.

Ultimately, Krause hopes understanding why we embrace some music and reject other sounds will help people make more positive choices about what they listen to.

Because the music we choose, and the music we avoid, can shape not only how we feel, but how we connect with the world around us.

-AAP