A study has been released by the University of Queensland that links listening to heavy music as giving you the same warm and fuzzies as a hug.
The study focused on the 18 – 34 year old demographic and was published in Frontiers In Human Neuroscience. Each participant went through a 16-minute anger induction session. During the session they described events or periods in their life that brought up negative feelings. They were then asked to listen to a song of their choice for ten minutes and were monitored a final time.
One of the developers of the research, Leah Sharman said, “All of the responses indicated that extreme music listeners appear to use their choice of music for positive self-regulatory purposes.”
“We found the music regulated sadness and enhanced positive emotions,” Sharman told the university. “The music 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.”
“A secondary aim for the study was to see what music angry participants would select from their playlist,” Sharman continued.
“It was interesting that half the chosen songs contained themes of anger or aggression, with the remainder containing themes like, though not limited to, isolation and sadness, yet participants reported they used music to enhance their happiness, immerse themselves in feelings of love and enhance their well-being.”
So there you have it. Something we’ve known all along but now we have academic verification that heavy music is good for you.
Go forth and listen to some heavy music…
