Maladaptive music listening strategies are modulated by individual traits

Music listening is a great resource for mental well-being, pleasure, and self-regulation, but it may also be maladaptive. Depression, instance, has been shown to relate music use that characterized by rumination, avoidance, mood worsening. However, we know little of the role individual differences in such maladaptive use. Hence, this study focused on examining personality, empathic traits, emotional contagion, types musical reward as predictors listening. Participants ( N = 318) answered an online survey comprising measures abovementioned traits addition Healthy-Unhealthy Scale (HUMS) measure Results demonstrated Unhealthy engagement was predicted variety representing general negative emotionality (e.g., Neuroticism, Personal Distress, contagion emotions). Structural equation modeling highlighted importance trait Distress mediating engagement. Finally, deliberate if strategies are indeed “maladaptive” individuals or merely coping mechanism, which adaptive them, aiding combat depressive anxious states thereby preventing them from “tipping over” into depression.