Predictors for enjoyment of playing musical instruments: Focused on psychological factors

This study investigates the psychological factors related to the enjoyment of playing musical instruments, and verifies the model that can predict enjoyment using psychological variables, demographic profiles, and variables related to music to provide useful information and knowledge for further studies and interventions. The participants were 416 male and female Chinese adults aged 20–68 years. The stepwise regression analysis revealed that fun seeking accounted for the greatest variance in enjoyment of playing musical instruments. Fun-seeking, agreeableness, openness, self-directedness, and conscientiousness accounted for approximately 27.2% of the variance in enjoyment of playing musical instruments. The decision-tree model included enjoyment of the music class in childhood, self-directedness, age, experience of playing musical instruments, experience of growing up in a family that enjoys music, extraversion, and agreeableness. These findings suggest that psychological variables such as fun seeking and agreeableness may play a more important role in enjoyment of playing musical instruments.