Heavy Metal Music Linked To Teenage Depression
September 18, 2003Michelle Mark of Calgary Sun reports that a new study on heavy metal or hard rock music and depression shows teens who listen to those genres of tunes are more likely to be singing the blues.
"Metal music often conveys images (for example) of death and violence," said University of Montreal psychologist and study author Dave Miranda.
"We therefore expected that this musical subculture would be associated with a high level of depression."
Miranda interviewed teens ages 15 to 17 and asked them to rank their musical preferences from a list of pop, metal, hip hop, jazz or classical and electronic.
Meanwhile, they were asked to fill out questionnaires on symptoms of depression such as lack of appetite, fatigue or low enjoyment of various activities.
The scale of depression was then compared to their music choices.
Researchers say between 5% and 20% of teens suffer from depression.
The study also found hip hop music the most likely to generate positive moods.
More information on the study (in French) is available from the University of Montreal web site at this location.
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