Despite being blamed as a ‘racket’ by most parents, extreme music such as heavy metal and rock has been proven to help listeners calm down and feel inspired.
Forget Mozart and cheesy pop, according to the latest study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, listening to ‘loud and chaotic music’ actually helps listeners feel inspired and remain calm.
Video via MetallicaTV
Two researchers at the University of Queensland conducted a study with 39 people aged 18-34, who regularly listened to extreme music.
The subjects were then asked to discuss for 16 minutes a life event which angered them, before either being asked to sit in silence or listen to extreme music for 10 minutes. Psychologists then monitored the emotional state of the respondents.
And apparently, it seems we all need to have a little rage against the machine.
Co-author of the study Leah Sharman concluded:
“We found the music regulated sadness and enhanced positive emotions. The music actually helped them explore the full gamut of emotion they felt, but also left them feeling more active and inspired.
“Results showed levels of hostility, irritability and stress decreased after music was introduced, and the most significant change reported was the level of inspiration they felt.”
Just maybe keep the volume down. For the neighbours’ sake.
