Heavy metal music can help you calm down

Posted on May 5, 2016

Extreme music is characterized by chaotic, loud, heavy and powerful sounds, with emotional vocals often containing lyrical themes of anxiety, depression, social isolation and loneliness. Researchers say that the findings of the study contradict previous theories that this kind of music is linked to aggression and delinquency.

For the study, honors student Leah Sharman and Dr. Genevieve Dingle studied 39 regular listeners of extreme music between the ages of 18 and 34. The participants were monitored after a 16-minute anger induction where each individual described topics that might instigate feelings of irritation such as relationships, money or work. They then spent an additional 10 minutes listening to songs of their choice and then experiencing 10 minutes of total silence.

“We found the music regulated sadness and enhanced positive emotions,” Sharman said. “When experiencing anger, extreme music fans liked to listen to music that could match their anger.”

Sharman continues, “A secondary aim for the study was to see what music angry participants would select from their playlist, half of the chosen songs contained themes of anger or aggression, with the remainder containing themes such as isolation and sadness. Yet the participants reported they used music to enhance their happiness, immerse themselves in feelings of love, and enhance their well-being.”


Source material from PsychCentral