Peace of mind: The impact of metal gestures on stress and power | Intellect Skip to content
1981
Volume 5, Issue 2
  • ISSN: 2052-3998
  • E-ISSN: 2052-4005

Abstract

Findings on metal research show an action-oriented, socially competent and less stressed community, opposing the assumption that metal reduces well-being and induces depression. Our study aimed to investigate the stress-reducing effects of metal for its fans and if this is influencing power experience. The idea is based on findings that indicate positive psychological and physical effects of music in general as well as the stress-reducing effects found for open, expansive gestures (e.g. ‘Metal gestures’). After stress was raised, participants listened either to metal or to classical music. While music was played, movements of half of the participants were blocked, thus, metal gestures were not possible. Metal music led to stress reduction of such blocked movements while classical music was found only to reduce stress when movements were not blocked. Stress reduction predicted the experience of power, but metal music and movements did not.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/mms.5.2.137_1
2019-06-01
2024-04-30
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Abbott, D. H., Garland, T., Mendoza, S. P., Ziegler, T. E., Keverne, E. B., Shively, C. A., Sapolsky, R. M., Bercovitch, F. B., Saltzman, W., Snowdon, C. T. and Banjevic, M. (2003), ‘Are subordinates always stressed? A comparative analysis of rank differences in cortisol levels among primates’, Hormones and Behavior, 43:1, pp. 6782.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Adler, N. E., Epel, E. S., Castellazzo, G. and Ickovics, J. R. (2000), ‘Relationship of subjective and objective social status with psychological and physiological functioning: Preliminary data in healthy white women’, Health Psychology, 19:6, pp. 58692.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Allen, K. and Blascovich, J. (1994), ‘Effects of music on cardiovascular reactivity among surgeons’, JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 272:11, pp. 88284.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Anderson, C., John, O. P. and Keltner, D. (2012), ‘The personal sense of power’, Journal of Personality, 80:2, pp. 31344.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Arnett, J. (1991), ‘Adolescents and heavy metal music: From the mouths of metalheads’, Youth & Society, 23:1, pp. 7698.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Ashforth, B. E. (1989), ‘The experience of powerlessness in organizations’, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 43:2, pp. 20742.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Bargh, J. A., Raymond, P., Pryor, J. B. and Strack, F. (1995), ‘Attractiveness of the underling: An automatic power → sex association and its consequences for sexual harassment and aggression’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68:5, pp. 76881.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Brown, A. R. (2011), ‘Heavy genealogy: Mapping the currents, contraflows and conflicts of the emergent field of metal studies, 1978–2010’, Journal for Cultural Research, 15:3, pp. 21342.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Burns, J., Labbé, E., Williams, K. and McCall, J. (1999), ‘Perceived and physiological indicators of relaxation: As different as Mozart and Alice in chains’, Applied Psychophysiology Biofeedback, 24:3, pp. 197202.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Carney, D. R., Cuddy, A. J. C. and Yap, A. J. (2010), ‘Power posing: Brief nonverbal displays affect neuroendocrine levels and risk tolerance’, Psychological Science, 21:10, pp. 136368.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Disturbed (2005), Ten Thousand Fists, CD, New York: Reprise Records.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Fischer, J., Fischer, P., Englich, B., Aydin, N. and Frey, D. (2011), ‘Empower my decisions: The effects of power gestures on confirmatory information processing’, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47:6, pp. 114654.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Guinote, A. (2010), ‘In touch with your feelings: Power increases reliance on bodily information’, Social Cognition, 28:1, pp. 11021.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Hanser, S. B. (1988), ‘Controversy in music listening/stress reduction research’, The Arts in Psychotherapy, 15:3, pp. 21117.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Helloween (2010), 7 Sinners, CD, Hanover: SPV.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Huang, L., Galinsky, A. D., Gruenfeld, D. H. and Guillory, L. E. (2010), ‘Powerful postures versus powerful roles’, Psychological Science, 22:1, pp. 95102.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Job, V., Dweck, C. S. and Walton, G. M. (2010), ‘Ego depletion—Is it all in your head? Implicit theories about willpower affect self-regulation’, Psychological Science, 21:11, pp. 168693.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Kahn-Harris, K. and Hein, F. (2006), ‘Metal studies: Une bibliographie’ (Metal studies: A bibliography), Volume!, http://volume.revues.org/467. Accessed 2 January 2013.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Keltner, D., Gruenfeld, D. H. and Anderson, C. (2003), ‘Power, approach, and inhibition’, Psychological Review, 110:2, pp. 26584.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Kirschbaum, C. and Hellhammer, D. H. (1994), ‘Salivary cortisol in psychoneuroendocrine research: Recent developments and applications’, Psychoneuroendocrinology, 19:4, pp. 31333.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Kirschbaum, C., Pirke, K. M. and Hellhammer, D. H. (1993), ‘The “Trier social stress test” – A tool for investigating psychobiological stress responses in a laboratory setting’, Neuropsychobiology, 28:1&2, pp. 7681.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Kneer, J. (2016), ‘Are we evil? Yes we are – but at least not crazy! How to test implicit associations of fans and non-fans with metal music’, Metal Music Studies, 2:1, pp. 6986.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Kneer, J. and Rieger, D. (2016), ‘The memory remains: How heavy metal fans buffer against the fear of death’, Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 5:3, pp. 25872.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Kneer, J., Rieger, D., Frischlich, L. and Munko, D. (2011), ‘Goethe versus Rammstein: Who is allowed to play with madness? The influence of musical taste on prejudice against heavy metal lyrics’, in C. A. McKinnon, N. Scott and K. Sollee (eds), Can I Play with Madness? Metal, Dissonance, Madness & Alienation, Oxford: Inter-Disciplinary Press, pp. 314.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Labbé, E., Schmidt, N., Babin, J. and Pharr, M. (2007), ‘Coping with stress: The effectiveness of different types of music’, Applied Psychophysiology Biofeedback, 32:3&4, pp. 16368.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Laux, L., Glanzmann, P., Schaffner, P. and Spielberger, C. D. (1981), Das State-Trait-Angstinventar (The State-Trait Fear Inventar), Weinheim: Beltz.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Lazarus, R. S. and Folkman, S. (1987), ‘Transactional theory and research on emotions and coping’, European Journal of Personality, 1:3, pp. 14169.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Levenstein, S., Prantera, C., Varvo, V., Scribano, M. L., Berto, E., Luzi, C. and Andreoli, A. (1993), ‘Development of the perceived stress questionnaire: A new tool for psychosomatic research’, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 37:1, pp. 1932.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Licinio, J., Buchanan, T., Al’Absi, M., Bongard, S., Pincomb, G. A. and Lovallo, W. R. (2007), ‘Cardiovascular and neuroendocrine adjustment to public speaking and mental arithmetic stressors’, Psychophysiology, 34:3, pp. 26675.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Lücker, C. (2011), Das Phänomen Heavy Metal: Ein Szene-Porträt (The Phenomen of Heavy Metal: A Portrait of the Scene), 2nd ed., Oberhausen: Nicole Schmenk.
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Lundberg, U. and Frankenhaeuser, M. (1999), ‘Stress and workload of men and women in high-ranking positions’, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 4:2, pp. 14251.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Manowar (2007), Gods of War, CD, Hanover: SPV.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Metallica (1986), Master of Puppets, CD, Copenhagen: Elektra.
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Motörhead (1982), Iron Fist, CD, London: Sanctuary Records.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Mozart (1788), Symphony No. 40 in G Minor K. 550: II Andante, on Günter Wand & NDR Sinfonieorchester, Berlin: BMG Entertainment.
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Nater, U. M., Abbruzzese, E., Krebs, M. and Ehlert, U. (2006), ‘Sex differences in emotional and psychophysiological responses to musical stimuli’, International Journal of Psychophysiology, 62:2, pp. 30008.
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Nater, U. M., Ehlert, U., Finkel, L., Brönnimann, R., Thoma, M. V. and La Marca, R. (2013), ‘The effect of music on the human stress response’, PLoS ONE, 8:8, p. e70156.
    [Google Scholar]
  38. Nilsson, U. (2008), ‘The anxiety- and pain-reducing effects of music interventions: A systematic review’, AORN Journal, 87:4, pp. 780807.
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Recours, R., Aussaguel, F. and Trujillo, N. (2009), ‘Metal music and mental health in France’, Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 33:3, pp. 47388.
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Reinecke, L., Klatt, J. and Krämer, N. C. (2011), ‘Entertaining media use and the satisfaction of recovery needs: Recovery outcomes associated with the use of interactive and noninteractive entertaining media’, Media Psychology, 14:2, pp. 192215.
    [Google Scholar]
  41. Röcker, L., Hochrein, H., Möckel, M., Müller, R., Eichstädt, H., Vollert, J., Danne, O. and Störk, T. (2007), ‘Immediate physiological responses of healthy volunteers to different types of music: Cardiovascular, hormonal and mental changes’, European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 68:6, pp. 45159.
    [Google Scholar]
  42. Roy, M., Lupien, S. J., Peretz, I., Bella, S. D. and Khalfa, S. (2004), ‘Effects of relaxing music on salivary cortisol level after psychological stress’, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 999:1, pp. 37476.
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Saarikallio, S. and Erkkilä, J. (2007), ‘The role of music in adolescents’ mood regulation’, Psychology of Music, 35:1, pp. 88109.
    [Google Scholar]
  44. Schubert, T. W. and Koole, S. L. (2009), ‘The embodied self: Making a fist enhances men’s power-related self-conceptions’, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45:4, pp. 82834.
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Sharman, L. and Dingle, G. A. (2015), ‘Extreme metal music and anger processing’, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8:8, p. e70156.
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Smith, C. A. and Lazarus, R. S. (1993), ‘Appraisal components, core relational themes, and the emotions’, Appraisal and Beyond: The Issue of Cognitive Determinants of Emotion, 7:3&4, pp. 23369.
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Snell, D. and Hodgetts, D. (2007), ‘Heavy metal, identity and the social negotiation of a community of practice’, Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 17:6, pp. 43045.
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Trappe, H. J. (2009), ‘Music and health – What kind of music is helpful for whom? What music not?’, Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift, 134:51&52, pp. 260106.
    [Google Scholar]
  49. van Goethem, A. (2011), ‘The functions of music for affect regulation’, Musicae Scientiae, 15:2, pp. 20828.
    [Google Scholar]
  50. van Kleef, G. A., Homan, A. C., Finkenauer, C., Gündemir, S. and Stamkou, E. (2011), ‘Breaking the rules to rise to power: How norm violators gain power in the eyes of others’, Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2:5, pp. 50007.
    [Google Scholar]
  51. Walser, R. (1993), Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music, Hanover: Wesleyan University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  52. Wass, H., Miller, M. and Stevenson, R. G. (1989), ‘Factors affecting adolescents’ behavior and attitudes toward destructive rock lyrics’, Death Studies, 13:3, pp. 287303.
    [Google Scholar]
  53. Weinstein, D. (2000), Heavy Metal: The Music and Its Culture (Revised), New York: Da Capo Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  54. Wilson, M. (2002), ‘Six views of embodied cognition’, Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 9:4, pp. 62536.
    [Google Scholar]
  55. Yehuda, N. (2011), ‘Music and stress’, Journal of Adult Development, 18:2, pp. 8594.
    [Google Scholar]
  56. Eischeid, S. A., Kneer, J. and Englich, B. (2019), ‘Peace of mind: The impact of metal gestures on stress and power’, Metal Music Studies, 5:2, pp. 137150, doi: 10.1386/mms.5.2.137_1
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/mms.5.2.137_1
Loading
/content/journals/10.1386/mms.5.2.137_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): classical music; embodiment; metal; movements; power; stress
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error