music shows and schopenhauer
by julia norton
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” Friedrich Nietzsche once stated. Music had a
great impact on his life, along with the teachings of Arthur Schopenhauer. Music has the ability
to influence people in general greatly. It’s a common icebreaker used in conversations. “What
kind of music do you listen to?” People use it to connect to each other, such as at concerts.
A year before Nietzsche published his famous work, The Birth of Tragedy; he wrote a
segment titled On Music and Words, in which he referenced his role model’s ideas several times.
Schopenhauer thought music was the primary expression of the essence of everything. To him, it
was the purest form of art due to the fact that music didn’t merely copy ideas, but embodied the
will itself. In his opinion, and many others’, music is a timeless, universal language that instills a
sense of enthusiasm in audiences and people globally. This creates an atmosphere of unity
through shared interest in music, which is exactly the attitude at concerts. Going to concerts is a
fairly normal part of a person’s life. If one listens to a certain band and they happen to come to
town, then going to that concert would be a special experience. Whilst at a concert, one is
surrounded by people with similar taste in music, concluding that chances are there will be
similarities in other areas too, such as intelligence, personality, and level of promiscuity.
Research has shown that one’s personality, promiscuity, intelligence, and more can be
gathered from one’s musical preference. Therefore, by sharing the same music taste, people are
more likely to share similarities in other areas of their lives. Virgil Griffith did an experiment in
which he took the top 133 artists (based on Facebook likes) and compared it to the individuals’
SAT scores. He found a correlation between the highest SAT scores and listening to Beethoven,
while the lowest SAT scores correlated to listening to artists such as Lil’ Wayne and Justin
Timberlake. Researchers from Roanoke College say that those who prefer more complex music
usually are more open to new experiences and have a higher need for intellectual stimulus, and
those who like upbeat music appear to be more agreeable and have higher self-esteem than those
who listen to alternative or heavy metal bands.
Although the crowd may not be the reason that people go to concerts, it certainly is an
added bonus. Meeting new people and broadening friendships can be difficult for some people.
However, it’s much easier if one has a topic to initiate conversation with, and music is a common
one of these. Recent research by Leaf Van Boven and Thomas Gilovich also shows that people
are happier spending money on an experience in an area they like rather than spending money on
a material item. Research also shows that people more often revisit memories of events and
experiences, rather than thinking on material possessions. Finally, humans are social animals
who appreciate relationships with other humans. Music is something personal and deep. Music is
an art form. Music is a bond.
great impact on his life, along with the teachings of Arthur Schopenhauer. Music has the ability
to influence people in general greatly. It’s a common icebreaker used in conversations. “What
kind of music do you listen to?” People use it to connect to each other, such as at concerts.
A year before Nietzsche published his famous work, The Birth of Tragedy; he wrote a
segment titled On Music and Words, in which he referenced his role model’s ideas several times.
Schopenhauer thought music was the primary expression of the essence of everything. To him, it
was the purest form of art due to the fact that music didn’t merely copy ideas, but embodied the
will itself. In his opinion, and many others’, music is a timeless, universal language that instills a
sense of enthusiasm in audiences and people globally. This creates an atmosphere of unity
through shared interest in music, which is exactly the attitude at concerts. Going to concerts is a
fairly normal part of a person’s life. If one listens to a certain band and they happen to come to
town, then going to that concert would be a special experience. Whilst at a concert, one is
surrounded by people with similar taste in music, concluding that chances are there will be
similarities in other areas too, such as intelligence, personality, and level of promiscuity.
Research has shown that one’s personality, promiscuity, intelligence, and more can be
gathered from one’s musical preference. Therefore, by sharing the same music taste, people are
more likely to share similarities in other areas of their lives. Virgil Griffith did an experiment in
which he took the top 133 artists (based on Facebook likes) and compared it to the individuals’
SAT scores. He found a correlation between the highest SAT scores and listening to Beethoven,
while the lowest SAT scores correlated to listening to artists such as Lil’ Wayne and Justin
Timberlake. Researchers from Roanoke College say that those who prefer more complex music
usually are more open to new experiences and have a higher need for intellectual stimulus, and
those who like upbeat music appear to be more agreeable and have higher self-esteem than those
who listen to alternative or heavy metal bands.
Although the crowd may not be the reason that people go to concerts, it certainly is an
added bonus. Meeting new people and broadening friendships can be difficult for some people.
However, it’s much easier if one has a topic to initiate conversation with, and music is a common
one of these. Recent research by Leaf Van Boven and Thomas Gilovich also shows that people
are happier spending money on an experience in an area they like rather than spending money on
a material item. Research also shows that people more often revisit memories of events and
experiences, rather than thinking on material possessions. Finally, humans are social animals
who appreciate relationships with other humans. Music is something personal and deep. Music is
an art form. Music is a bond.