There have been some pretty interesting studies that portray metal in favorable light lately. We've learned people who listen to metal are less likely to cheat on their significant other, metalheads are the most loyal music fans and that metal makes you happy. Now we have a study that metal also calms you down.
Next time someone tries to point out that you're probably all angry and moody due to that "damn devil music you listen to," load up this article and shove it right their face! According to a study done by UQ's School of Psychology honors student Leah Sharman and Dr. Genevieve Dingle, listening to heavy metal can actually make its listeners calmer rather than amp them up or piss them up.
"'We found the music regulated sadness and enhanced positive emotions,' Ms Sharman said in an article by Sky News.
'When experiencing anger, extreme music fans liked to listen to music that could match their anger.
'The music helped them explore the full gamut of emotion they felt, but also left them feeling more active and inspired.
'Results showed levels of hostility, irritability and stress decreased after music was introduced, and the most significant change reported was the level of inspiration they felt.'"
The study investigated the listening habits and moods of 39 metal fans, ages 18 to 34, and was published in Frontiers In Human Neuroscience. According to Sky News, the participants in the study underwent "anger induction," where they were asked to recall life events that made them feel angry and then spent 10 minutes listening to songs of their choice, or 10 minutes of silence. Afterward, they were then quizzed about their level of hostility, irritability and stress.
"'Participants reported they used music to enhance their happiness, immerse themselves in feelings of love and enhance their well-being,' the study said.
All of the responses indicated that extreme music listeners appear to use their choice of music for positive self-regulatory purposes.'"
So this wasn't wasn't just some easy survey or anything. This was an actual study proving the fact that metal might help you deal with stress and anger! How many of our readers jams on some seriously heavy stuff to calm them down at work or during school?
Just throwing this out there- we're good at not cheating on our significant others and we're pretty chill.
