Every year Spotify outs us to our friends and family; who do you listen to the most, how much you listened, and when. Recently I’ve seen the trend of people becoming irritated with everyone who has Spotify, which is superior I must say, posting their Spotify wrapped summary.

First of all, I understand where these people are coming from, yes it can be irritating having a few days with just who people have been listening to. On the other hand, it is very informative. Just by looking at that rectangle of information, you can assess the mental state and wellbeing of said person. Or even spot red flags for people you don’t know all that well.

If you are confused here’s an example, say a persons’ number one artist is Daniel Caesar or Bruno Major. Both wonderful artists, but the aura of their music mainly consists of low-fi sad music. Which is good in moderation, which is where the minutes play in. If said person has listened to the equivalent of months of said artists, this could raise some alarm. How stressed are they? Are they just a depressed teen coping with music?

On the opposite spectrum is learning about people you don’t know that well. That obscure person that you know of, but don’t really know. They post their Spotify wrapped and bam, there you have it; possible political leaning, mental state, general taste, and common sense, perhaps even what kind of person they are. An example to clear this up. Say a person listens to an artist whose lyrics constantly perpetuate and normalize rape culture and misogyny, as well as general mistreatment of all genders. Now you know this is normalized in said person’s mind.

Spotify wrapped happens once a year, so take it as an opportunity to secretly psychologically analyze your peers.