I must admit, Justin Bieber pre “Purpose” (2015) album was not it. I only danced to All Around the World because it was played at every single party and I knew the lyrics to Beauty and a Beat just because radio stations loved the song more than I did. Similarly, Selena Gomez’s songs have always been a hit or miss, some of them monotonous and others lyrically relatable. But before the Beliebers and Selenators out there decide to write me off, hear me out — I don’t particularly find their older albums appealing, but I won’t judge you if you do. Music is a universal language and I cannot make assumptions about your entire personality simply because you speak the language differently than I do.

Just as we ask someone for their zodiac sign or whether they like cats or dogs more, inquiring about someone’s music preferences is a great icebreaker and a lens into their personality. Interestingly, the online version of the Myers-Briggs personality test has also discovered links between music taste and the 16 different personality types. Diplomats may enjoy genres like jazz and soul, which have a higher emotional aspect and Explorers may favor pop and hip-hop or music that is more instinctive. Punk can also attract INTP and INFP personality types and jazz more so ENTJ and ENFJ types, based on multiple surveys. These are just two of many examples, which are all to say that music preferences both provide some insight into what one’s personality is like and people may gravitate towards different musical genres based on their likes and dislikes.

However, music taste goes beyond just listening to a song and liking it. There are other socio-biological factors that also play a role, such as the amount of dissonance we hear, which determines how much we enjoy music. For instance, western music may sound more familiar to some of us than music from other parts of the world, with which we do not necessarily have the same associations, which in turn makes us appreciate and enjoy western music more. The music we jam to is therefore not entirely based on some objective “quality” of the song itself, but on how our brains recognize familiar tones and pitches.

Judging other music tastes is therefore pointless and unreasonable, both because one does not decide what songs to like or dislike and, put simply, why does it matter? You may not like Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin and may prefer blasting Olivia Rodrigo instead, but does that warrant unpleasant comments about the artist and the audience? Yes, it can be frustrating when the same three songs are played on repeat for the entire duration of a road trip, but more often than not, the person in charge of the playlist will be receptive to other song suggestions too. Music is an art form and how one chooses to express oneself through music should frankly be non-negotiable.

It can be hard to avoid judgement, because human beings are wired that way. I love country music but anytime I admit to it, I am met with eye rolls and groans of disgust. Similarly, some common assumptions are that pop music is “overrated,” metal is “loud” and classical music is “ancient.” Music is also associated with identity, which means people listen to artists and songs based on their personality traits, such as preferring jazz if they are an “old soul” or EDM because they love dance and groovy rhythms.

Music shaming may not be “that deep,” but it really comes down to shaming someone for enjoying something, which is a display of arrogance. I’m not referring to laughing about the absurdity of Cardi B’s lyrics or finding songs with one tone “boring,” because that is fairly normal. Arrogance comes through imposing specific genres or artists on others and believing they are superior to others. We can all learn to appreciate different styles of music for what they are and even if we do not personally enjoy them, we can still allow others to savor them.

Music is meant to bring people together, not serve as a further divide between groups of people simply due to differing tastes. We may connect with people based on similar music tastes, but that should not be a reason to isolate others. Would you shame someone for enjoying carrots more than they enjoy celery? I sincerely hope not and if that is the case, watch out for next week’s food column.