What Kind of Paintings Do You Like?

British psychologists have looked for associations between people's
artistic preferences and their personalities, and published their
findings in the British Journal of Psychology.

Over 90,000 participants, aged 13 to 90, completed surveys on the
types of paintings they preferred, and completed the "Big Five"
personality inventory.

The artistic styles offered for preference were: abstract, cubism,
renaissance, Japanese, impressionism, and secular Islamic art. The
five personality traits included were: openness, agreeableness,
conscientiousness, extraversion, and neuroticism. (You can take the
Big Five inventory online, if you wish.)

The strongest link between personality and art preference was with
'openness' – these people gave the highest levels of liking for all
types of paintings. This was explained by the psychologists as being
because people with high openness are more imaginative and creative,
and seek new experiences; low scorers are more down-to-earth and more
practical.

More conscientious persons liked all types of paintings less than most
people. Agreeable and conscientious people had higher scores for
impressionistic paintings. Those high in extroversion preferred cubism
more than most, with men liking cubism more than women. Males and
younger participants tended to prefer renaissance paintings.

Was this an important finding? Only if you're an art gallery manager,
I guess, and know what sort of people live in your neighborhood. But I
expect the study received a government grant from taxpayer funds . . .