Metal Music is Actually Relaxing!

  

The picture of thrash rock listeners is not exactly one of zen, but it turns out they actually hold a special key to relaxation.

The angrier the music, the more calming the effect, says a new study that looked at “extreme” music genres like heavy metal, emo, punk, and screamo. Published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience last month, the study consisted of researchers monitoring the heart rates of agitated participants. Some were asked to sit in silence and others were encouraged to listen to the angry music of their choice.

Instead of finding that angry music breeds more anger or delinquency—a widely held notion, especially when it comes to rap music—researchers found that those who let their anger fester in silence achieved the same calmed state as those who did so with extreme music.

It’s worth noting however that, if you’re not a fan of say heavy metal, listening to that genre likely won’t soothe you during frustrated times. All of the study participants were self-identified metalheads. But if that’s your thing, keep at it.