Is heavy metal bad for mental health?

Heavy metal music is known for its dark themes such as violence, death and substance abuse as

suggested by Craggs (2019). Therefore, it has been argued that heavy metal is bad for mental

health as the music may provoke a dysphoric mood as suggested by Shafron and Karno (2013).

The listeners might also have a higher risk of mental illness as suggested by McFerran (as cited

by Devic, 2011). However, as recent studies found that heavy metal music can improve the

mental state of the listeners, this paper argues that the benefits heavy metal music brings to

mental health outweigh the potential harms. Heavy metal music can serve as a healthy outlet of

negative emotions, help listeners open up about their struggles, help listeners to deal with the

anxiety towards mortality and create social relationships.

The first benefit of heavy metal music is that it regulates negative emotion. Craggs (2019)

indicates that a study from The University in Queensland in 2015 shows that heavy metal

listeners can make use of the music to channel anger, manage depression and improve their

mood. In the study, the participants were angered and then were allowed to listen to music. The

ones who listen to heavy metal music were able to experience peace of mind. Craggs (2019)

mentions that the lyrics of heavy metal music are often about the negative moments that people

can relate to. For example, the songs from the Nu-metal band Linkin Park are often about the

struggles of the band members. Songs like “Heavy” and “Numb” are about combating depression

in life. According to Craggs (2019), listeners can relate their bad experiences to these songs and

release their negative emotions through music. Rowe and Guerin (2018) also suggest that

listeners can release their emotions physically through heavy metal. Their study points out that
the intense instrumentation helped most of the listeners to release their stress in a physical way

which is as important as the release of emotions from the music.

With the relatable dark lyrics of the heavy metal songs, it can also help people to open up about

their struggles. Even if the listeners cannot experience instant emotional release, they can learn

about how to talk about their negative feelings through lyrics as suggested by Rowe and Guerin

(2018). In their study, the interviewees who once were in serious depression were able to feel

understood by the metal band through their lyrics. On this account, they were learning to apply

obscure lyrics from these metal songs to express their pain or rage. Rowe and Guerin (2018)

conclude in their study that the lyrics are vital for the interviewees to open up about their

difficulties. It can be beneficial for the mental state of the listeners as their close ones like parents

or friends can provide support. By opening up to professionals like social workers or

psychologists, they can provide concrete assistance to tackle mental problems.

Another benefit that heavy metal has is that it can help listeners come to terms with their

mortality. According to Kneer and Rieger (as cited by Williams, 2016), listening to metal music

about death can fight against anxiety and despair about dying. In their study, the participants who

listened to songs about death like Slayer’s “Angel Of Death” and Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”

were more open to the idea of death. They had less fear and anxiety than the other group which

listened to an audiobook. Kneer and Rieger (as cited by Williams, 2016) suggest that as the

theme of heavy metal is often about death, by exposing to the dark lyrics of the songs repeatedly

can help immunise the listeners. They point out that it is helpful in processing death-related

thoughts. Also, Kneer and Rieger (as cited by Williams, 2016) added that heavy metal music can
give a sense of identity to the metal fans which adds meaning to their lives and improves their

self-esteem. Therefore, they are less likely to fall into existential crises and fall into anxiety

about matters of life and death.

Despite the benefits that heavy metal has on the mental state, some critics point out that this

genre of music can cause listeners to rationalize violent behaviours. A study from Macquarie

University (as cited in Craggs, 2019) discovered that metal fans can find enjoyment with violent

content. According to Rowe and Guerin (2018), some listeners would fantasize about their bully

being violently treated. Such fantasies may cause them to commit violent crimes. Craggs (2019)

points out the killers from Columbine High School Massacre in 2002 and San Bernardino

Murder in 2003 are metal fans. Therefore, studies correlate metal with these murders. However,

Craggs (2019) finds that these studies failed to take other reasons for the murder into account,

like substance addiction and bad relationships with family. Craggs (2019) adds that these studies

are speculative and opinionated. Also, the violence of the listeners is purely imaginary. Rowe

and Guerin (2018) found that the interviewees who imagined the bully being harmed did not

commit violent actions towards the bully in real life.

Some critics also found that heavy metal listeners have a higher level of emotional dysphoria,

especially the listeners of subgenre hardcore and screamo metal. The research by Shafron and

Karno (2013) found that college students who prefer Hardcore and Screamo metal music have a

higher level of depression, anger and anxiety than listeners of other genres. They point out that

the high pitched screaming and the lyrical content of Hardcore and Screamo metal may be the

reason that affected the listeners. However, in the study, the listeners of other subgenres of metal
like Death Metal, Metalcore, and NuMetal did not experience similar negative emotions. Also,

Shafron and Karno (2013) did not investigate the relationship between metal and negative mood

that one might lead to another. Admittedly, there is the possibility that certain elements of

Hardcore and Screamo metal led to negative emotions. However, it could be another way round.

Metal music can attract people with negative emotions to have an outlet and social support as

other researchers in this paper suggested.

Another argument is that heavy metal music causes listeners to cut off social interactions which

worsens their negative emotions. According to McFerran (as cited in Devic, 2011), listening to

heavy metal repeatedly is a sign of isolation from the real world. She believes that this behaviour

is a negative way of listening to music which can cause depression and suicidal thoughts. Rowe

and Guerin (2018) also suggest that metal listeners would avoid interactions with potential

enemies and would not abide by the norms. It causes them to further distance themselves from

normal society. Although heavy metal cannot help the listener to be accepted in the social norm,

it can help the listener build relationships with the like-minded. Rowe and Guerin (2018) point

out that metal listeners value the sense of community. The interviewees in their study are mostly

from the underprivileged groups which were being bullied at school. Although they were not

accepted at school, they were able to feel connected to the community of metal fans. Rowe and

Guerin (2018) point out different ways that the listeners connect with other fans, including going

to concerts, wearing the same outfit or watching online content. They conclude that most

interviewees feel a sense of social protection in the metal community. This can help the ones
who are being bullied or oppressed to get support from peers, which avoids them to be socially

isolated and develop negative emotions.

In conclusion, heavy metal music is to a large extent beneficial to the mental health of the

listeners. Admittedly, some listeners might fantasize about violence and distance themselves

from the non-listeners because of heavy metal music. Some subgenres of metal may even trigger

negative emotions. However, the emotional release and social connection that metal music brings

would help improve the isolation and depression of the listeners. Even if the listener is still

emotionally negative, the lyrics of metal songs enable them to open up about their difficulties so

that others can provide a helping hand. Additionally, listening to heavy metal can help listeners

deal with the fear of death and give them a sense of self-worth. Therefore, the benefits heavy

metal music brings to mental health outweigh the potential harms.

(1379 words)
 Reference

Craggs, D. (2019, May 2). Is Heavy Metal Music Good for your Mental Health? Service Care

Solutions. ​Retrieved from

https://www.servicecare.org.uk/news/is-heavy-metal-music-good-for-your-mental-health-

91222929152

Herald Sun News. (2011, October 20). Heavy metal fans more exposed to mental illness, study

finds.​ Retrieved from

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/archive/news/heavy-metal-music-can-trigger-mental-illne

ss-study-finds/news-story/698799dad3c546376e7ab57ed8a84d13

Rowe, P., & Guerin, B. (2018). Contextualizing the mental health of metal youth: A community

for social protection, identity, and musical empowerment. Journal of Community

Psychology, 46(4), 429–441.

Shafron, G. R., & Karno, M. P. (2013). Heavy metal music and emotional dysphoria among

listeners. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 2(2), 74–85.

Williams, T. (2016, July 20). Heavy Metal Helps Listeners Deal With Their Own Mortality,

Study Finds. Retrieved from

https://musicfeeds.com.au/news/heavy-metal-helps-listeners-deal-their-mortality-study-fi

nds/