Those whacky Australians. University of Melbourne researcher Dr. Katrina McFerran recently conducted a study of teens conducting interviews with 50 teens between 13 and 18 years old, along with a national survey of 1000 listeners. They found that teens listening to metal are more likely to be depressed and/or using the music in a negative way. Bwah?
“Most young people listen to a range of music in positive ways; to block out crowds, to lift their mood or to give them energy when exercising, but young people at risk of depression are more likely to be listening to music, particularly heavy metal music, in a negative way.
Examples of this are when someone listens to the same song or album of heavy metal music over and over again and doesn’t listen to anything else. They do this to isolate themselves or escape from reality.
If this behavior continues over a period of time then it might indicate that this young person is suffering from depression or anxiety, and at worst, might suggest suicidal tendencies.”
That's really funny, because anytime I hear the Black Eyed Peas, I get severely depressed that they are millionaires, meanwhile bands I actually like have to struggle for gas money. Should the Black Eyed Peas be studied for depression? Also, I don't know what kind of music these people listen to at the gym, but for me nothing is more perfect that some metal tunes like Pantera's Far Beyond Driven. Finally, I feel like for a lot of people, metal has the opposite effect of depression. To me personally, there is nothing more calming then listening to a really great grind record when I'm pissed. How do you guys feel about this? [via Metal Insider]
