Heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Judas Priest set the initial standard with dark, occult-inspired lyrics and dissonant electric guitar riffs. Metallica and Slayer soon followed suit in taking speed and aggression further while Glam metal bands like Poison and Motley Crue added big hair and fashion forward style into their music.
Depression
Depression is a prevalent mental health condition that impacts millions worldwide. Depression’s symptoms often include feelings of sadness and hopelessness; heavy metal music can provide some relief by encouraging an optimistic view on life; it also fosters community among fans that help combat loneliness associated with depression.
Though some have misconstrued metal as being evil or demonic, it can actually be an invaluable aid for combatting mental illness – particularly bipolar disorder. Bipolar is characterized by symptoms including high energy levels, racing thoughts, pressured speech and an increase in libido; similarly fast tempos of speed metal and death metal subgenres may provide similar experiences when experiencing manic episodes.
Metal bands have also integrated themes of mental health into their lyrics. Many songs feature experiences from band members that depict how they overcame difficulties and gave listeners hope that they too can overcome difficulties, showing they are not alone in facing hardships.
Studies have demonstrated that people who listen to metal have lower rates of depression and anxiety than those who do not; however, these results cannot directly ascribe these benefits to metal music itself or whether its listening helps alleviate negative feelings associated with depression and anxiety.
Depression is a serious and potentially life-threatening disorder; if you find yourself experiencing any of its symptoms, it is essential that you seek professional medical assistance immediately.
Heavy metal has a rich and varied history that spans multiple decades and draws inspiration from both male and female artists alike. Its roots can be traced to the 1970s when Black Sabbath and Judas Priest first burst onto the British rock scene – two groups which would go on to achieve mainstream success as mainstream heavy metal groups; after this success other artists began pushing experimental forms forward within heavy metal, with nu metal becoming popular during this decade, which combined elements of both thrash metal with hip hop music and industrial tracks.
Anxiety
Music plays an integral role in our emotional lives, helping us express ourselves and connect with others while also altering our moods. If someone is feeling anxious, listening to soothing music may help calm them down; however, some genres such as heavy metal can actually increase anxiety levels; according to studies done, its fast tempo and loud sounds may trigger feelings of paranoia, anxiety and fear in some. Furthermore, its fast pace may cause feelings of powerlessness; it may also prompt negative self-criticism or shame from individuals listening.
Heavy metal is a subgenre of rock music that emerged during the 1970s. It evolved from hard rock bands combining blues-influenced guitar riffs with dark lyrics – think Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath for starters – before later bands like Metallica and Motorhead added their unique influences to make heavy metal even more accessible and popular; Metallica particularly stood out thanks to their aggressive style and technical proficiency; while Iron Maiden with their iconic songs and Eddie has become an all-time classic classic within heavy metal music history.
Some researchers have expressed alarm over prolonged exposure to music with violent and aggressive themes being linked with increases in anger, antisocial behavior, aggression, substance use and suicidal thoughts among community and psychiatric populations. Unfortunately these conclusions cannot establish causation links; alternative research indicates that aggression varies greatly according to individual factors including personality and mental health status.
Studies have also demonstrated that listening to aggressive music may provide some people with an effective mood regulation strategy. Listening to aggressive music has been proven to temporarily reduce negative emotions such as sadness or anxiety by relieving stress and decreasing physiological arousal levels. Metal music in particular can make some feel empowered over their lives.
Further research needs to be conducted into the effects of mood-regulating music on wellbeing and mental health for people who listen. This research can be especially important when understanding long-term implications of adopting specific emotion regulation strategies as well as informing clinical decision making (i.e. whether to discourage or encourage music as therapy).
Stress
Heavy metal music often features lyrics depicting aggression, violence and misogyny which may cause listeners to feel anxious or stressed out. Furthermore, some elements within this genre like amplified guitars and distorted vocals may also elicit feelings of fear or anger in listeners. Yet contrary to popular perceptions, listening to this type of music may serve as an emotion regulation strategy; an experiment conducted where participants who were made angry were given heavy metal music as an emotional regulation strategy while classical music served as control proved they calmed faster than their classical counterparts counterparts did.
Studies suggest that this effect of music lies more in its interpretation and perception, rather than any direct correlation with feelings like anxiety and stress. One such experiment involved making female adolescent participants feel irritable before playing either classical music chosen by an experimenter or self-selected “calming” music from them – classical music was shown to reduce levels of irritation, anger and physiological arousal much faster than heavy metal music played at that same moment in time.
These findings corroborate prior research indicating that individuals high in Openness to Experience tend to favor more intense, complex, and unconventional forms of music and gravitate toward heavier genres like metal music. However, such correlation should be approached cautiously given evidence suggesting its influence can also come from other personal factors like seeking uniqueness and having a negative attitude toward authority.
One study has recently demonstrated that female fans of heavy metal music may be at a greater risk for depression than non-fans. This finding may be attributable to affiliation between fandom and depressed peers as well as lyrics depicting depression within many metal songs. Further investigation should continue into how fandom impacts emotional and psychological well-being among both non-clinical populations as well as clinical populations.
Self-Esteem
Heavy metal music can be an intense form of expression for some individuals. It can help them feel connected to an engaged community of fans with similar interests, and its lyrics may explore difficult themes such as death. But metal can have negative repercussions for one’s self-esteem; policy makers, mental health professionals, and correctional facilities all take seriously correlational studies between metal music and suicide (C. Baker & Brown 2016). More research must be conducted within nonclinical as well as clinical populations to establish whether these associations are genuine (C. Baker & Brown 2016).
Although metal music may sometimes express feelings of anger and aggression, there is no evidence to support that listening to this genre sensitizes people to violence. A small 2015 study actually demonstrated the opposite – when people were made angry before being exposed to metal music they tend to calm down more rapidly than those not exposed to this genre of music.
Metal music’s arousal effect could contribute to increased aggression; however, more research needs to be completed in this field. Furthermore, other factors besides metal can impact aggression – for instance genes, environmental conditions and personality traits such as sensation seeking. Considering self-esteem studies also play a part here. Correlation studies can often be used as the basis for policy decisions or restricting access to certain media forms; it is vital that we fully comprehend their context as causation cannot be inferred based on correlation alone (Walser 2013).
Metal music may contain dark artistic elements, including violence and death themes, but this doesn’t have any direct ramifications on self-esteem – which is important since self-esteem has an enormous effect on emotions, interpersonal relationships and academic/work performance. Depression or anxiety could also negatively impact self-esteem; antidepressants or cognitive therapy treatments could potentially help manage this impactful condition.