From Billboard hits to sold our tour dates, Taylor Swift has been on a lot of people’s minds lately. A recent survey even indicated that she’s the top artist for students with high grade point averages.
Could music taste and academic performance really be connected? To find out, the “Something Offbeat” team reached out to Dr. Alexandra Gold, a clinical fellow in psychology at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.
“So, it’s really hard to say if this is actually a GPA effect or if this is just, you know, people really like Taylor Swift” she explained. “She’s a highly popular artist.”
Gold also explained some of the psychology behind what makes Swifties so loyal to the pop star. During the ongoing Eras Tour, they’ve even ramped up their own tradition of making friendship bracelets, sharing them with other fans.
“I think Taylor was one of the first artists to really use the internet to garner a fan base, and she’s done that really well to the point that now her fans have their own community,” she said.
Even if we can’t tell who will get good grades based on the last artist they streamed, Gold said that high achievers do tend to have some similar psychological traits. Listen here to find out what they are.
Each week, “Something Offbeat” takes a deeper look at an unusual headline. If you have suggestions for stories the podcast should cover, send them to us at somethingoffbeat@audacy.com.