Some people’s favorite songs are musically harsh, with lyrics expressing anger and rebelliousness. “Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine comes to mind.
Some people’s favorite songs are musically bright and uplifting, with lyrics expressing affection and gratitude. “Thank You for Being a Friend” by Andrew Gold, for example.
Do people in different parts of the world prefer different pieces of music because of the emotions expressed, both musically and lyrically? It’s a reasonable hypothesis, given that many studies have documented cultural variations in how people experience emotions.
In East Asian societies, for example, individuals tend to focus more on interpersonal emotions such as affection, anger, and embarrassment. In Western societies, individuals tend to focus more on intrapersonal emotions such as pride, guilt, and anxiety (see Tsai & Clobert, 2019).
Two Studies of Emotions Featured in Favorite Songs
Last month, in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, an international team of music researchers reported their investigations into a fascinating question (Tang, Tan, & Li, 2025): Is a person’s cultural background associated with the kinds of emotions expressed in their favorite songs?
The researchers conducted two studies. In the first, they recruited 435 participants to complete an online questionnaire. The sample included people representing 33 nationalities, with an equal number of females and males. Most of the study participants were in their 30s and living in the United States, the United Kingdom, or Canada.
The participants first reflected upon their favorite song or piece of music. They then used an emotions checklist to indicate the emotions expressed in their favorite music.
The participants also completed a 30-item Self-Construal Scale. The SCS measures the degree to which a person has an independent (separate from others) sense of self or an interdependent (connected to others) sense of self. Persons raised in a generally individualistic society like the United States are more likely to have an independent sense of self, while persons raised in a more collectivistic society such as China are likely to have an interdependent sense of self.
As might be expected when surveying people with diverse cultural backgrounds, the participants’ favorite songs included a wide range of musical genres, including rock, classical, hip-hop, country, K-pop, and contemporary Christian music.
In general, though, participants in Western countries and participants with a strongly independent sense of self were more likely to prefer songs that expressed negative, socially disengaging emotions such as anger, disappointment, and resentment. Think Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain.”[1]
In contrast, participants in East Asian countries and participants with a strongly interdependent sense of self were more likely to prefer songs that expressed positive, socially engaging emotions such as joy, love, and gratitude. Many K-pop songs fall into this category. The cultural differences observed were not large but were statistically significant.
In the second study, 309 university students in three countries—China, Singapore, and the United Kingdom—participated in a listening experiment.[2] They chose a favorite song and listened to their selection on a music streaming service. While listening, a screen prompt reminded participants to pay attention to the emotions expressed in the song. Participants then identified those emotions (and their intensity) on an emotion checklist. They also completed the Self-Construal Scale used in Study 1.
As in the first study, participants with a strong interdependent sense of self were more likely to prefer songs that expressed positive emotions such as affection, gratitude, and other feelings that promote social connectedness.
Somewhat surprisingly, participants in the second study who had a strong independent sense of self did not favor songs that expressed negative emotions like anger and disappointment. In fact, they generally preferred songs that expressed positive, socially engaging emotions, just like their interdependent counterparts.
Cross-Cultural Psychology Essential Reads
Tang and his colleagues are not sure how to explain this last finding because it doesn’t align with earlier studies of cultural differences in felt emotions. They did note, however, that at the time of the study, many popular songs in East Asia and in the U.K. happened to feature themes of love and connectedness (Tang, Tan, & Li, 2025).
Bottom Line?
It appears that a key product of one’s cultural upbringing—the degree to which we perceive ourselves as either an autonomous person or an interconnected person—can influence our musical preferences and, in particular, the emotions expressed in our favorite songs.
This makes good sense to me. Our sense of self affects many of the choices we make in life. Why should musical choices be any different?
At the same time, some songs are hugely popular across diverse cultural contexts for reasons unrelated to lyrics. Sometimes a song’s rhythm and melody just grab you. I’m guessing the Spice Girls’ 1996 megahit “Wannabe” got people around the world out on the dance floor, even if they didn’t understand a single word. Zigazig ah.
