Is there a correlation between being a psychopath and the music they like? That’s what a study at New York University set out to explore.
About 200 students were given a questionnaire designed to gauge their level of psychopathy. Among the questions were “For me what’s right is whatever I can get away with.” That’ll give you an idea of what character traits they were looking for.
After determining who in the group had psychopathic tendencies, researchers then gave everyone a music preference test. Those with the highest psycho scores tended to like “Lose Yourself” by Eminem and “What Do You Mean” by Justin Bieber. Non-psychos preferred “Money for Nothing” from Dire Straits and “My Sharona” from The Knack.
Does this mean music preference can be used to determine whether or not you’re a psychopath? Not yet, but more study needs to be done.
© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Ad Choices