Studies on Listening to Heavy Metal Music and Behaviour

A recent study found that listening to heavy metal music may actually make you a better person. The study found that people who listen to metal are more likely to be tolerant and open-minded than those who don’t.

So, if you’re looking for a way to make yourself a better person, maybe give heavy metal a try!

Introduction

Research on the effects of listening to heavy metal music is inconclusive. Some studies suggest that there may be negative effects, such as increasing aggressive thoughts and behaviours, while other research has found no causal effect.

It is possible that any effect of heavy metal music on behaviour is due to the listener’s interpretation of the music, rather than the music itself. For example, if a person believes that heavy metal music is evil, they may be more likely to act out aggressively after listening to it.

There is no definitive answer to whether or not listening to heavy metal music has any impact on behaviour. However, further research is needed to explore this topic.

What is heavy metal music?

Heavy metal music is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. The genre’s lyrics and performance styles are sometimes associated with aggression and machismo.

History of heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. The genre’s lyrics and performance styles are sometimes associated with aggression and machismo.

In 1968, three British rock bands spearheaded by Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple pioneered the heavy metal sound. Musically, early heavy metal songs heavily emphasized blues-influenced riffs often played on electric guitars over which distortion pedals were used to create “fuzz tones”, before progressing to longer pieces involving more instrumentals. By the early 1970s, bands such as UFO and Nazareth were regularly experimenting with elements of hard rock. In 1971 Judas Priest released their debut album Rocka Rolla which was considered one of the earliest Britain’s heaviest and fastest albums released. This album laid out the blueprint for what would become British steel over the next two decades. The Milwaukee Journal described it as “the first real hard-rocking album”, while AllMusic wrote: “Rocka Rolla provided much of heavy metal’s sonic blueprint.” In 1973 UFO released their self-titled debut album which is also considered one of earliest examples of heavy metal music. Another band that helped pioneer this new style was Queen whose 1974 self-titled album Queen had many riffs based around distorted guitars.

In 1974 Deep Purple released their album Burn which featured one of the earliest examples of guitar riff-based song structures (“Stormbringer”).Black Sabbath’s Paranoid followed later that same year solidifying heavy metal’s place in popular music.

The effects of heavy metal music

There have been many studies conducted on the effects of heavy metal music on behaviour. The results are mixed, with some studies showing positive effects and some showing negative effects. Overall, it seems that the effects of heavy metal music on behaviour are mainly positive.

Positive effects

Heavy metal music has often been demonized by society, with claims that it is associated with violence, aggression, and anti-social behaviour. However, recent studies have suggested that there may be some positive effects of listening to heavy metal music.

One study found that people who listen to heavy metal music tend to have higher levels of self-esteem and self-compassion than those who don’t listen to this type of music. Heavy metal fans also tend to be more open-minded and tolerant of others.

Another study found that people who listen to heavy metal music tend to be more creative than those who don’t. This is likely because heavy metal music often challenges listeners to think outside the box and come up with new ideas.

So, while it is important to be aware of the potential negative effects of any type of music, it is also worth noting that there may be some positive benefits associated with listening to heavy metal music.

Negative effects

It has long been debated whether or not listening to heavy metal music has any negative effects on behaviour. While some people claim that it does have an effect, studies have shown that there is no definitive link between listening to heavy metal and behaving aggressively. In fact, many studies have found that people who listen to heavy metal are no more likely to behave aggressively than those who don’t listen to it.

However, some researchers have suggested that there may be a link between listening to heavy metal and certain types of delinquent behaviour, such as vandalism. But again, these studies have not found definitive proof that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between the two. It’s possible that people who are already prone to delinquent behaviour are simply more likely to listen to heavy metal music.

Conclusion

Overall, the results of this study suggest that there is no significant relationship between listening to heavy metal music and antisocial behaviour. This finding is consistent with other research in this area, which has generally found no evidence to support the idea that heavy metal music has a negative impact on behaviour.

It is important to note that this study only looked at a limited number of behaviours, and it is possible that heavy metal music could be associated with other types of behaviour that were not examined in this research. However, the lack of a relationship between heavy metal music and antisocial behaviour in this study provides evidence against the notion that heavy metal music is a cause of negative behaviour.