Open-earedness

The links between open-earedness and age found in LeBlanc (1991), that is, the dip in open-earedness found in the middle of childhood and early adolescence, and its rebound in early adulthood, mirror the findings in the development of openness to experience in childhood and adulthood (Soto, John, Gosling, & Potter, 2011)

In a year when the Grammys were looking to display an embrace of difference, a modicum of open-earedness, a sense that the show is taking place in the present day and not being hologrammed in from a decade or two earlier, it would have been difficult to invent a musician better suited to the situation than Lizzo.

Until around the age of 11, children are generally happy to engage with unfamiliar music. Early adolescence sees a reduction in open-earedness, but is accompanied by an intense increase in interest in music more generally. Open-earedness increases slightly during young adulthood, then declines as we age.