Study: Headbangers are among the Happiest Music Fans

Headbangers are among music’s happiest fans. That’s according to a new study from OnBuy.com, which found heavy metal fans have one of Reddit’s largest communities with 1,388,837 members. In examining posts from the members, researchers found metal fans wrote an average of 62 positive words per 100 comments. All totaled, headbangers posted 35,737 positive words in 57,837 comments. The only fans who fared better were jazz lovers, the study reveals. “Jazz and metal are emotive and allow us to express our emotions whilst we listen to the music, but it’s two extremes,” says psychologist Şirin Atçeken. “Metal affects us and is a natural anger management tool. It allows us to tap into our anger sensors, and actively address them, helping to manage these negative emotions.” Does listening to heavy metal really help you manage your negative emotions?