Some people say you are what you eat. I say you are what you listen to.

My friend and pastor Rich Blaylock listens to podcasts from some of Christianity’s most electrifying apologists. That’s why he’s insightful and deep for his 24 years.

(Of course he also listens to really loud rock. This morning, I had to check my eye sockets, ears, nostrils, and mouth for signs of bleeding. I say he’s going to be the rock on which God builds His church.)

Another friend and co-worker, Mich, listens to a variety of musical styles, including alternative rock. That’s just about right; in case Rich isn’t the rock on which God will build His church, Mich is the alternative rock. She gets along well with a variety of people of differing ages and social strata; someone whose musical tastes linger on the wide gamut of musical personalities that make up alt rock would fit in, methinks, with all types of people.

My wife Cathy likes R&B-type grooves along the lines of Mariah Carey, John Legend, and Elliott Yamin. She needs music like this to handle the pressures of her job. R&B can also stand for riveting and beautiful, which she is.

I listen to pop fluff, so I’m fluffy. Analogical stretches aside, I go for anything with a tight sense of harmony. We Are The World-type songs, you know, or Barbara Ann (Beach Boys), The Lion Sleeps Tonight (The Tokens), even Hold On (Wilson Phillips). And of course, gospel and Contemporary Christian Music provides much opportunity for layers and layers of harmony.

This 2003 study says people are drawn to musical styles that reflect their personalities. According to the study, people who listen to “reflective and complex” music score well in tests that measure verbal ability, self-perceived intelligence and political liberalism; people who enjoy “upbeat and conventional” music score highly on extraversion, self-perceived physical attractiveness, athleticism and political conservatism.

What music do you listen to? Do you think it reflects who you are?

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