London (dpa) - A British study investigating the link between musical tastes and personality has found that classical music listeners and heavy metal fans share vital character traits such as creativity and shyness.

The research, published Friday by Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, asked 36,000 music lovers worldwide to list their favourite music and give brief descriptions of their personalities in what is believed to be the largest such study ever undertaken.

It was led by Adrian North, head of the university's department of applied psychology, who said he had been "surprised" by some of the results.

"One of the most surprising things is the similarities between fans of classical music and heavy metal. They're both creative and at ease but not outgoing," said North.

"The general public has held a stereotype of heavy metal fans being suicidally depressed and of being a danger to themselves and society in general. But they are quite delicate things."

According to North, heavy metal and classical fans are united by a "shared love of the grandiose," which meant that a "Metallica fan is more likely to listen to Mahler than an indie kid is to give reggae a try."

"Aside from their age difference, they are basically same kind of person."

Fans of indie music were found to have low self-esteem and little motivation, while rap enthusiasts "tend to think a lot about themselves and are extremely outgoing" and country and western fans were outgoing and hard-working.

Those who love dance and music were extrovert but "more likely to be unfriendly and slightly self-centred."

According to the study, blues and jazz lovers have generally high self-esteem, are creative, outgoing and at ease - traits they share with rock'n'roll fans who were, however, "not very kind or generous."

North suggested that the results explained why "so many people bond over music because it is "profoundly linked to the person we are."

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