Research at Cambridge University concluded that people who enjoy Metallica tend towards "systemized" thinking, and like music featuring "cerebral complexity" - while people who'd rather hear soft pop like Norah Jones tend towards "empathized" thinking and art of more "emotional depth."

Lead expert David M Greenberg argues his group's study could be used to improve online music providers' suggestions for music a listener might want to hear, after they've selected something they already like.

Greenberg tells the BBC: "A lot of money is put into algorithms to choose what music you may want to listen to, for example on Spotify and Apple Music.