I’ve recently come to a consensus with several scholarly friends that there’s something more important in attractiveness over hair color, clothing choice, conversational skills or sense of humor. The secret to attraction — hands down — is musical taste.
Believe it or not, your choice of tunes is more important than you probably think.
Obviously, this is not a blanket statement. This concept varies from person to person. But the concept is constant: Taste in different genres of music easily drives people to and away from certain people.
Let’s say we’re on a first date. Casual, right? Dinner (sushi or Italian) followed by a movie. Everything is going great. We’re talking, getting to know each other, and there’s obviously some chemistry. The movie ends and we walk arm-in-arm to my favorite coffee shop. As we sit over cups of a spicy bold, I ask nonchalantly: “So, what kind of music do you like?”
Here’s where things can diverge. Different answers warrant different endings:
“My favorite music is country music! Taylor Swift basically writes songs about me.”
The date, in my mind, is over.
A night that could have ended with a kiss and butterflies has completely tanked. She might as well have said, “My favorite song is ‘Never Call Me Again’ by That-Guy-No-One-Cares-About.”
As far as I’m concerned, country music is for drunken middle-aged men who need to grieve after their ex-girlfriend stole their hemi truck and crashed it out of spite. It’s hard to be sincere on a date when you’ve just admitted that your celebrity crush is Tim McGraw.
Let’s rewind and try again.
“I love electronica.” You have my attention. Daft Punk is easily one of the greatest and underappreciated musical happenings in the history of ever.
“I saw Skrillex and deadmau5 in concert last week and it changed my life!” When you obsess over a disk jockey whose tracks don’t really change from album to live-concert, that’s a big ol’ white flag for me. Finally, when I mention playfully that Sonny Moore used to play guitar for From First to Last and you answer with, “Who?” you might as well drive yourself home.
“I don’t know. I like all kinds of music!” This answer is just as bad as the last two. Pick one and let’s talk!
“I love pop-punk! New Found Glory’s Self-Titled is my bible!” Is the 20th of November good for our wedding? In my book, music is more fundamental than having a crazy mother-in-law or an unhealthy obsession with cats. (By the way, I can deal with those).
Whether you believe Tupac is still alive, One Direction is the best thing since The Beatles, or “Gangnam Style” has a play count over 200 on your iTunes, musical taste will always be an indicator of romance and friendship. Technology has been embedded in every aspect of our lives, including our relationships.
Reach the columnist at mschan@asu.edu or follow him at @MorganSukotto.
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