Many people believe that music with aggressive overtones, such as metal or punk rock, makes them angry, while some even believe these genres could lead to violent behavior or delinquency.
But does extreme music really cause anger? According to a recent study, no. However, it does increase physiological arousal levels and therefore may increase feelings of irritation and tension.
Dissonance
Metal rock music is defined by its use of both harmonic and metric dissonances to disrupt rhythmic structures, producing feelings of tension and uncertainty in listeners. Dissonance without resolution often triggers negative emotional states such as anger. On the other hand, when resolved properly it can have positive results such as increased happiness levels in listeners.
Dissonance’s effect on emotion depends heavily upon how listeners interpret music. A study conducted by Gowensmith and Bloom revealed that when heavy metal fans listened to their preferred genre of music they did not report being more angry than non-fans who experienced similar music; this suggests that expectations and perceptions about a genre influence their experience of its negative emotional effects.
Musicians and non-musicians both exhibited varied responses when exposed to excerpts of the same piece with either harmonic or metric dissonance. Participants analyzed each excerpt before selecting which cluster of emotion best described each excerpt – G being most commonly chosen when listening to harmonic dissonant versions while B was preferred when hearing consonant versions; musicians seemed particularly attuned to its impact on their emotions, suggesting they might be better aware of its effects than non-musicians.
Metric dissonance, on the other hand, is more subtly manifest. It occurs when two or more musical elements clash against each other – for instance when an electric guitar and snare drum beat at once – creating an effect of tension and uncertainty by simply confusing listeners as to time and rhythm.
Many rock music fans use the powerful emotional experiences provided by their favorite songs to motivate themselves and overcome negative feelings. Though some studies have linked media violence with increases in aggression and antisocial behaviour, other scholars have noted that aggression cognitions and attitudes do not translate directly to actual acts of aggression or violence. Furthermore, certain metal songs contain themes related to acts of violence and misogyny without inducing direct hostility or hostility among its listeners.
Drive
Music can have an immense effect on our emotions and can even inspire positive change in your life. Rock music has inspired many famous and successful people; some examples are the songs featured in Rocky and Survivor that have since become inspirational to athletes around the globe.
Rock music became increasingly versatile during the 1960s and 70s, serving multiple purposes from dance music to emotional connection and expression. Young adults used rock as an outlet to voice their ideas and protest social injustices through songs such as Paul Revere & the Raiders’ “Kicks,” while “Pleasant Valley Sunday” by The Clash was used to address suburban materialism.
Some rock music can be extremely energizing and provoke feelings of anger in those predisposed to such emotions, especially among youth who feel disgruntled about society as a whole. Genres like metal and punk were created by youth who felt anger over society – these genres typically feature power chords, aggressive vocals, and distorted amplifiers for maximum impact.
Rock music featuring themes of aliens, outer space, or the supernatural often refers to itself as “space rock”. This genre features strange noises and distortion with unique time signatures for each composition and an emphasis on improvisation and performance.
The Beatles were among the pioneers in popularizing this style of music, popularizing classics such as “Drive My Car” and “Helter Skelter.” To properly evaluate any song’s impact, it is also crucial to take its genre and lyrics into consideration.
Although several rock bands bearing the name Drive have had significant success, only a select few have found lasting fame. One such band was Drive, who released one single in late 1996 called Curfew which did not chart but still earned positive reviews for genre mixing and Josh Henen’s vocals. Drive eventually disbanded but has since been used by various musical acts under that same moniker.
Threat
Rock music has long been associated with an air of danger. In its formative years of the 1950s and 1960s, it was seen as a threat to traditional values due to its associations with youth rebellion and anti-establishment attitudes. But as rock became mainstream during the 1970s and 80s, its perceived danger diminished; by today it is not considered dangerous as much because its style no longer pushes boundaries and challenges social norms as much as previously.
Angry music has long been associated with rebellious spirits, often featuring fast-paced lyrics sung in an aggressive tone by deep and gritty voices. Additionally, angry music can also be identified by its loud volume and distorted guitars; listening to this type of music may lead to feelings of adrenaline rush that make listeners want to take action or express their rage in some form.
Musical styles often associated with anger include punk and metal music. Punk originated among an angry group of youth, who added minor keys, power chords, aggressive vocals, stripped down production, and turned up amplifiers until their amplifiers reached 10. These styles may appeal to people feeling alienated from mainstream society; these subversive angry music communities offer sense of belonging that can help individuals cope with feelings of alienation and alienation.
Heavy metal music has long been associated with headbanging, Satanism and mosh pits – three popular activities. But recent studies have demonstrated that metal listening may actually have positive psychological benefits: helping listeners relax rather than becoming angry.
Grandma may become distressed when her grandkids are blasting Slayer in their bedrooms with full blast, hood up and volume at its maximum level. But Slayer is just as much music for dads and sons as it is mums and daughters – and, contrary to Grandma’s worries, listening to such angry music may actually help improve one’s outlook on life!
Aggression
Rock music has long been associated with aggression. Early artists in this genre utilized hard blues structures and electric guitars to produce an energetic yet rebellious sound; in addition, lyrics of rock songs often reflected themes of violence or anger that further amplified this aggression in its formative years.
Anger and aggression must be differentiated. Anger refers to feelings, while aggression refers to intentional hostile or violent behaviors. Although listening to aggressive music may cause feelings of anger, studies have also demonstrated that when this music is removed listeners tend not to act aggressively as often.
Notably, aggressively themed music has been shown to have positive effects on listeners, including decreased levels of depression and anxiety. This may be because the music serves to distract listeners from negative emotions by taking them into more exciting or entertaining realms.
Heavy metal music has often been associated with anger-inducing lyrics, yet this may not always be true. Metal and other genres of ‘extreme’ music have actually been shown to positively influence listeners; one study conducted at University of Queensland by Leah Sharman and Dr Genevieve Dingle found that metal, emo, hardcore and punk all decreased anger rather than increasing it.
Researchers had participants recall an event that made them angry before playing either a violent song or nonviolent one, then completed psychological tasks to measure anger and aggression such as classifying words that have both aggressive and nonaggressive meanings. Their results found that students listening to violent songs experienced higher levels of hostility and aggression compared with those listening to nonviolent songs.
Note, however, that these results should not be taken as conclusive; their authors acknowledge they could have been affected by biases toward rap and heavy metal music among participants. It remains unknown whether such effects would occur when listening to other genres of music – further research using experience sampling methods could shed more light on this question.