Stereotypes, in addition to being key factors in slowing down thinking to the point of annihilating it, are also the best supporters of any delusion.
And of course, a very good tool for manipulating the ignorant!
Metal, in all its extensions, has experienced this for good, and indeed not a few bands found themselves in the line of fire.
In other words, they have become the target of some deft people who are constantly looking to find an invisible enemy in order to be in the spotlight!
But come on, the science of psychology has decided to break down all Metal stereotypes.
Studies that started in the ’80s have shown that Metal is far from “dangerous“!
Specifically, psychologists proved that those who listened to Metal in the ‘80s did NOT become:
Murderers, alcoholic rapists and were not blinded by the lime hatred for everyone.
On the contrary, the vast majority of metalheads created a balanced, simple life.
These results have further intrigued scientists and as a result, they researched in depth the peculiarities of this music.
In fact, scientists have no difficulty finding evidence that Metal is not only a healthy expression but much more.
The fear of death…
One of the researches was about the fear of death and how Metal helps to overcome it.
Fear of death is one of the two main factors, responsible for creating many stressful situations.
One of the researches that have been done in the past, claims that Metal has the solution for this.
Hard music greatly helps to manage the natural horror of death, making it a “cultural asset“.
This is what psychologists Julia Kneer and Diana Rieger claim in their research published in July 2016.
The title of their research is influenced by Metallica and the album “Reload“: “The memory remains: How heavy metal fans buffer against the fear of death“.
The research…
The survey was conducted among 30 people from Germany and the Netherlands, who were divided into two groups.
One was listening to Slayer’s classic “Angel Of Death” and the other some random audiobook choices.
The results were impressive!
The song about Josef Mengele showed how it increases self-confidence and also that the fear of death almost disappeared.
“Heavy metal music is often identified, by those who do not listen to it, with death.
But her followers assure her that her sound helps them escape depression and even eliminate thoughts of death.
“According to the theory of fear management, self-esteem and cultural approach to the environment are a dipole in relieving the fear of death,” the American said.
The theory of terror management…
Going a step further, we will refer to the theory of terror management by psychologists Thomas A. Pyszczynski, Sheldon Solomon, and Jeff Greenberg.
Their theory states that a basic psychological conflict arises from the instinct of self-preservation when the individual realizes that death is inevitable and unpredictable.
By embracing a more cultural approach to the environment and by increasing self-esteem, the horror of death becomes easily manageable.
Maintaining this dipole is what “forces” people to devote a lot of time to various activities.
The research of the two American women was intended to examine if, by itself, the cultural factor is capable of dispelling the fear of death.
The special character of Metal…
In this case, it refers to the culture of Metal music, as a means of improvement.
“Metal music can be considered by its fans as a very positive cultural factor, so it is also responsible for shaping their social identity.
Our two-part study wanted to test whether Heavy Metal is capable of alleviating existential stress.
In the first part, we learned that metalheads do not need to expand their cultural horizons since only by listening to their music they do become aware of the necessity (or its irreversible nature) of death.
The second part showed that hard music automatically improves the self-esteem of its fans, at the same time that the other groups of examines needed to build it“, concludes the two American women.
This is not the first research, nor the last, that proves that hard music is not a “bad influence“.
Each passing year brings more and more findings in favor of Metal, as research increases.
I will dare to say that once again (and scientifically), its special character is proven which also helps in the evolution of the individual.
After all, there are not a few countries that have not only demonized it but have included it in their culture and education.
