Photo: Wenn
Metal music has historically been vilified as the source of teenage rebellion, corruption and the work of the devil. Headbangers can take solace in a recent study that suggests that metal fans are actually happier than everyone else.
A new study entitled, 'The Life Experiences and Mid-Life Functioning of 1980s Heavy Metal Groupies, Musicians and Fans - published in the psychology journal Self and Identity, measured the overall happiness of Metal fans of the 80s against people of the time that listened to different genres.
The study found that metalheads "were significantly happier in their youth, and better adjusted currently". The main factor they considered was that the "fans and musicians like felt a kinship in the metal community, and a way to experience heightened emotions with like-minded people" (via Pacific Standard).
377 people were tested in total and given a questionnaire about the welfare of their youth and their current state of happiness. They asked 154 metal fans of the 1980s, 80 who listened to different music at the time and 153 college students studying in California currently.
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In participants who dealt with "adverse childhood events" or "other stressful and risky events in their youth", the researchers surprisingly found "higher levels of youthful happiness" than peers of different tastes and present college students.
The cherry on top for defenders of the metallic arts is that the study found "no statistically significant group differences in life experiences or current function" between the subject groups. "This suggests similar development trajectories and adult functioning" between metal fans and test subjects with other tastes. The takeaway here is to keep rocking, it's scientifically endorsed.
