The Psychology Of Loving Heavy Metal
Heavy Metal Fans Jacek Karczmarczyk via Wikimedia Commons You can tell a lot about someone from their taste in music. Especially if they have a penchant for contemporary heavy metal. Researchers at the University of Westminster in the U.K. recently turned their scientific attention toward heavy metal music, examining what makes a connoisseur of metal, psychologically speaking. They found that many heavy metal aficionados shared a particular pattern of personality traits. In a study published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, a total of 414 participants, almost half of whom were college students, listened to 10 songs from bands like Overkill, Enslaved, Disturbed and Cradle of Filth and rated how much they liked them. They also answered surveys measuring how they matched up with the Big Five personality traits, their need for uniqueness, their self-esteem, attitudes toward...