Are You Nuts? It's either Bach or Bieber.

This morning I came across a news item that gave me a small slice of hope -- hope that I would not turn into a psychopath. The article, published in the Washington Post, describes a study that examined both the musical preferences of people and their tendency toward psychopathic behavior.

As someone who makes a real effort to listen daily to something composed by members of the Bach family (Handel and Vivaldi too), I was thrilled to discover that I was a most unlikely psychopath. It seems that those who prefer classical music enjoy a low correlation with such aberrant behavior.

Yes, despite all the classical music that seems to motivate  Hollywood serial killers, the truth is that psychopaths apparently prefer more popular tunes, specifically songs by Eminem, Backstreet, Justin Bieber, and Dire Straits, to name a few. Interestingly, I would be unable to identify anything performed by any of these contemporary musicians, something I trust separates me even further from insanity.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy rock n' roll, but I just believe it died about the same time Buddy Holly perished in that Iowa corn field. Will I ever come to like today's pop music? Perhaps Buddy offered the best answer: "That'll be the Day."