What is it about?
We investigated fans of Death Metal music with violent themes, to see what their experiences were, and whether they differed from non-fans in empathic capacity and personality. We also examined how fans and non-fans "use" music for particular psychosocial functions. Fans of Death Metal did not differ from non-fans in empathic capacity, and only exhibited very minor differences in personality, being slightly (but reliably) less conscientious and less agreeable as a group. Fans also tended to have greater music training than non-fans, and listened to music for specific psychosocial purposes, such as to increase energy, and to discharge or distract from negative feelings. Most significantly, whereas listening to extreme metal left non-fans feeling angry or afraid, fans were left feeling empowered, joyful, and peaceful.
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Why is it important?
Media violence is pervasive in society, and it is important to understand whether it poses a threat to developing children and teens. Does exposure to violent media, such as "Death Metal" music, lead to violent and aggressive tendencies? Does it lead to desensitisation to violence? Stemming from such concerns, it is often believed that fans of extreme and violent metal music are generally angry and troubled individuals, who nurture and reinforce their aggressive tendencies by listening to aggressive and often violent music. This concern has even led to the censorship and banning of certain bands. For example, the band "Cannibal Corpse" was banned in Australia for close to a decade. Remarkably, however, we find that fans actually derive peace, empowerment, and joy when they listen to this aggressive and violent music, and they have just as much empathy for other individuals as non-fans. It is puzzling that fans are not troubled by the often violent and misogynist lyrics, whereas for non-fans, such lyrics are deeply disturbing. Fans appear to process violent lyrics at an unconscious level, enhancing their visceral experience and not being appraised for its literal semantic content.
Perspectives
One of the authors is an extreme metal musician (Kirk Olsen), and I grew up listening to the heavy metal bands that were the precursors to Death metal (and other aggressive, extreme metal genres). The third author is a clinician who is interested in how individuals use music to work through difficult feelings. So we have a very personal interest in this area. Another motivation for working on this issue is the paradox that people often enjoy music with "negative" emotional connotations. In ordinary life, people usually avoid contexts that lead to negative emotions - but with music (and other arts), people are often attracted to negative emotions, including sadness ()tragedy) and violence. Understanding this apparent "paradox" has been a longstanding interest of mine.
William Thompson
Macquarie University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Who enjoys listening to violent music and why?, Psychology of Popular Media Culture, March 2018, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/ppm0000184.
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