Have you ever wondered what type of music smart people listen to? Neither have I,
but software writer, Virgil Griffith, was plagued by the question. So, he decided
to conduct a study that would chart musical tastes based on average SAT scores
among various college students. For example, students attending Cal Tech have
an average SAT score of 1520. By looking at Facebook to determine the band most
“liked” by Cal Tech students he was able to correlate average SAT score with
artist preference. As UCLA students we all know that correlation does not
equal causation, but it is still kind of a interesting study nonetheless.
Griffith’s
chart reveals that Sufjan Stevens, Radiohead, and the Shins are preferred by
those with high SAT scores. Meanwhile, Lil Wayne, Beyonce, and The Used are
preferred by those with lower scores. Among other
interesting revelations from the Griffith’s chart: smart people prefer John
Mayer over Pink Floyd; rock titans like Tool, System of a Down, and Pearl Jam
fall right in the middle; and people still listen to Switchfoot and Reliant K.
While explaining how he came up with the idea, Griffith said, "I’ve listened to
artists who after listening to I thought to myself 'Wow… loving this rubbish
says a lot about someone and how much they got going on in their head. Could
one’s musical tastes say something about intelligence? How about SAT scores?'" So, he decided to put it to a semi-scientific test.
Favorites
of UCLA include:
1. The Killers
2. Coldplay
3. Jack Johnson
4. The Beatles
5. Radiohead
6. Weezer
7. Nirvana
8. Beck
9. Red Hot Chili Peppers
10. Snow Patrol.
So, according to the chart, we at UCLA confirm to the rest of Griffith’s data. Here is Griffith’s chart, if you want to see how your favorite artists have faired.
