I'm sure when you've been asked about if metal makes you angry because it sounds "angry" to people, you've responded with something along the lines of how it absolutely doesn't. Instead, you likely said, that it's a great outlet for being frustrated or angry, and actually makes you feel pretty good! Now you can show those very same people a new study by Nick Perham, Cardiff Metropolitan University lecturer, who said exactly that.
In an article on The Conversation, Perham says the following.
Despite the often violent lyrical content in some heavy metal songs, recently published research has shown that fans do not become sensitised to violence, which casts doubt on the previously assumed negative effects of long-term exposure to such music. Indeed, studies have shown long-terms fans were happier in their youth and better adjusted in middle age compared to their non-fan counterparts. Another finding that fans who were made angry and then listened to heavy metal music did not increase their anger but increased their positive emotions suggests that listening to extreme music represents a healthy and functional way of processing anger.
Perham also found some evidence to suggest that heavy metal might be good for scientific thinking!
Finally, heavy metal can promote scientific thinking but alas not just by listening to it. Educators can promote scientific thinking by posing claims such as listening to certain genres of music is associated with violent thinking. By examining the aforementioned accusations of violence and offence – which involved world-famous artists like Cradle of Filth, Ozzy Osbourne, and Marilyn Manson – students can engage in scientific thinking, exploring logical fallacies, research design issues, and thinking biases.
Considering that heavy metal is being thrust back into the limelight right now due to a few horrific people, it's nice to know some folks are actually using academic articles to back up the fact that it's really not all that bad.
Perham's whole article is pretty interesting and can be found in full here.
Read more studies about metal:
- New Study: Death Metal Fans Are Nice!
- AI Death Metal Generator Using ARCHSPIRE As Source Material
- New Study Shows Musicians Are More Likely To Suffer From Depression, Mental Health Issues
- Study Compares Moshing To Rituals Performed By Rainforest Tribes In Papua, New Guinea
- New Study Suggests More Intelligent People Usually Prefer Instrumental Music
- Study Says Going To Shows Can Increase Your Lifespan By Nine Years
- Survey Suggests People Over 30 Years Old Stop Discovering New Music
- Music Can Help You Through Surgery, New Study Finds
- Study Links Younger Metal Fans To Higher Self-Harm & Suicide Rates
- More here.
