When you hear a song for the first time or the millionth time, what do you pay attention to first: the lyrics or the music itself? Turns out, your listening style can reveal a whole lot about your personality.
Music is known as the universal language, with the pieces that make up a song, like melody, rhythm, and tempo, understood by people all over the world, regardless of culture or background. In fact, the oldest instruments are estimated to be over 40,000 years old, meaning music has been a source of connection for humans for longer than we could ever imagine.
Despite music being so universal, we all experience it differently. That’s why we’re all so unique when it comes to favorite genres, artists, and songs. In fact, according to the internet, we even draw meaning from music in completely different ways.
Do you hear the lyrics or the music first when you listen to songs?
Though music is proven to speak to all of us, according to burnout coach Josh Terry, there are two different types of listeners: those who hear the lyrics and those who listen to the music.
As one person online put it, “I don’t listen to lyrics when I’m listening to music. Sometimes I’ll catch a line here and there. I don’t even know the lyrics to my favorite songs. Everyone I’ve talked to IRL thinks it’s odd.” So while you may listen to a song and hear the lyrics as the music is not much more than background noise, someone else might only be able to hear the music behind the words — and that may all have to do with your personality.
According to research, we process the lyrics of a song and its music on different sides of the brain. Whether you pay attention to lyrics or music first when listening to a song can reveal a lot about your personality, showing which side of the brain you favor.
What it means if you mainly hear the lyrics in a song
People who hear the words of a song would be left-brain dominant, tending to “see the world through a logical framework,” Terry explained. If the first thing you register when listening to a song is its lyrics, you’re more of an analytic thinker. A few Reddit users who relate to this noted that bad lyrics can actually ruin a song for them, no matter how good the music is.
You tend to take the world as it is and see things in a series of calculated steps. You’re able to easily and quickly weigh the pros and cons of a situation, using them to come to conclusions. You’re able to put yourself in other people’s shoes by analyzing situations from multiple perspectives.
What it means if you mainly hear the music or melody in a song
As Terry explained, people who hear the music of a song “think intuitively through sensations and have to translate those into language.” If you easily hear the music of a song but have to really focus to pick out the lyrics, you’re more intuitive.
“I can listen to the same song for 10 years and not pick up more than a few words. I get distracted by basslines, melodies and beats,” explained one Reddit user.
Right-brain dominant, you get meaning from feelings and nuances rather than what may be directly in front of you. You likely embody many empathic traits, such as a unique ability to understand what other people are feeling without them saying it outright, and the propensity to daydream. You’re able to understand where others are coming from by genuinely feeling the way they do.
Neither personality type is better than the other.
Despite us all hearing music differently, we all still not only appreciate it but ultimately understand it the same way. For example, if you’re listening to a new song with a friend, you’ll both be able to discuss its meaning even if you got that meaning through the lyrics and your friend got it through the music.
Tima Miroshnichenko | Pexels
Instrumentals aside, many songs wouldn’t be what they are without both the music and the lyrics. Just as it’s important to have both in music, it’s important to have both types of people in the world to balance each other out.
Micki Spollen is YourTango’s Editorial Director. Micki has her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism & Media Studies from Rutgers University and over 10 years of experience as a writer and editor covering astrology, spirituality, and human interest topics.
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