It is common to see, at some random point in the city, those long-haired men with elastic pants, high boots, a Metallica T-shirt and some helmets from which the distant wailing of an electric guitar can be heard. On the outside, with a serious face, they shake their heads gently, suppressing inside the desire to do a good headbanging and let themselves be carried away by the wild rhythms and dark lyrics that are burned into their mind. And while they listen to a song by Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Kiss or Aerosmith , many think of the classic studies that affirm that those who listen to this type of music tend to aggressive behaviors or even have a greater risk of suicide. However, there are other studies that, beyond stereotypes, speak of the benefits of heavy metal.
A study conducted by the University of Warwick concluded that gifted people often use heavy metal to shake off all tensions and relax . The study asked more than a thousand students with high intellectual abilities and found that rock was the musical style preferred by subjects between 11 and 18 years old. These students claimed to use rock and heavy metal as a method to achieve a catharsis , a release from memories or passions that alter their mind. They manage to overcome negative emotions and face the academic pressure to which they are subjected through this music.
Is listening to heavy metal proper for smart people?
Similar results were presented at the 18th Annual Conference of the Association for Psychological Science (2006) in New York, which showed that people who preferred alternative music and rock and heavy metal genres had higher scores in some tests carried out to objectively measure your intelligence. Within the results, it was highlighted that these people were particularly better in the capacity of abstraction . To this fact, the authors raised the possibility that it was due to the greater frequency of metaphors and abstract language that exists in the songs of these styles and that the fans end up absorbing when they are exposed for a long time.
According to the study, preferring these styles of music is often associated with certain personality traits such as being open to new experiences, enjoying risk or being physically active. Partly because of these facts and partly because of the image that society has made of rockers and metalheads, the love of this type of music is related to an “intense and rebellious” personality. However, perhaps the most striking thing is that no type of relationship was found between listening to this music and neuroticism , emotional instability, as would be expected if the stereotypes that associate this musical style with negative emotions, depression, isolation, were followed. etc.
Andrew O’Neill , British humorist and author of ‘ The History of Heavy Metal ‘, stated in an interview that “heavy metal is centered on the darkest aspects of human nature ” and it may be precisely that enthusiastic and energetic treatment that makes these aspects what makes it especially attractive. All human beings have doubts and negative feelings at one time or another and heavy metal or rock & roll can help us accept them and even free ourselves from them. Raised fist, flowing hair, full volume and long life for Heavy Metal .
Marisa Fernández, Senior Neuropsychologist, Unobrain
