What kind of music are you listening to?

[SoylentGreen]

DOCTORS should ask their teenage patients what type of music they prefer to determine if they are at risk of developing a mental illness or committing suicide, researchers say. A study, published in today's Australasian Psychiatry journal, found that teens who listened to pop music were more likely to be struggling with their sexuality, those tuning in to rap or heavy metal could be having unprotected sex and drink-driving, and those who favoured jazz were usually misfits and loners. The findings prompted a call for doctors to include musical tastes as a diagnostic indicator in mental health assessments. The study's author, Felicity Baker, said yesterday: "There is no evidence to suggest the type of music you listen to will cause you to commit suicide, but those who are vulnerable and at risk of committing suicide may be listening to certain types of music." She said an Australian study of year 10 students had shown significant associations between heavy metal music and suicidal tendencies, depression, delinquency and drug-taking. An American study had also shown that young adults who regularly listened to heavy metal had a higher preoccupation with suicide and higher levels of depression than their peers. Deliberate self-harm and attempted suicide were also associated with teenagers who listened to trance, techno, heavy metal and medieval music as part of the Goth subculture, while those who attended dance parties were much more likely than their peers to be taking drugs. Some genres of rap music, such as French rap, were linked to more deviant behaviours, including theft, violence and drug use. Teens who listened to hip-hop were usually less troublesome, Dr Baker said. "But it's important to point out that music doesn't cause these behaviours," she said. "It's more a case of teenagers who may have a mental illness or are involved in these antisocial behaviours being drawn to certain types of music." Michael Bowden, a child psychiatrist and the head of medical programs at the NSW Institute of Psychiatry, said most doctors already questioned teen patients about their influences, whether from their peers, the internet or music. "Over the years there have been concerns about suicidal themes in some music and whenever a famous person, such as (Nirvana singer) Kurt Cobain, kills themselves we see a copycat effect among teenagers," he said. "But sometimes an adolescent's musical tastes will reveal nothing. The key to understanding any teenager is to treat them with respect by listening to what they have to say, rather than typecasting them according to the type of music they listen to." WHAT STUDIES SAY ABOUT YOUR SOUNDS: POP: Conformists, overly responsible, role-conscious, struggling with sexuality or peer acceptance. HEAVY METAL: Higher levels of suicidal ideation, depression, drug use, self-harm, shoplifting, vandalism, unprotected sex. DANCE: Higher levels of drug use regardless of socio-economic background. JAZZ/RHYTHM & BLUES: Introverted misfits, loners. RAP: Higher levels of theft, violence, anger, street gang membership, drug use and misogyny.

www.theage.com.au - Musical key to unlocking teenage wasteland

I am a jazz rythm & blues man. With the occasional heavy metal.

[nerdvincent]

Ouch. I'm an avant-garde and free jazz/improvisation fan. I play what we call non-idiomatic improvised guitar. Does that mean that I'll die unshaved?! Dunno, but at 16 it may show how individualistic and independant I am.
I love blues and "straight" jazz as well.

For those interested in the kind of music I'm playing: Derek Bailey
One of my idol.

[gela]

Haha, my taste in music is clean.

I like various genres of (mostly) unmainstream rock.

I don't mind some screaming, but it has to build up to it so its passionate. To me, the point is entirely missed when they just scream throughout the entire song.

Anyway, the Pop evaluation does not surprise me at all.

[triad]

Well thought-out research. They needed this a long time ago, and in the line:

"But sometimes an adolescent's musical tastes will reveal nothing. The key to understanding any teenager is to treat them with respect by listening to what they have to say, rather than typecasting them according to the type of music they listen to."

Would have ended the debate about bad music and violent video games causing kids to do socially unacceptable things.

Violent video games don't find kids, violent kids find video games.


Good post.

[Gods_Mercenary]

woops

[Gods_Mercenary]

Given that heavy metal covers everything from classics like led zeppelin and Sabbath to creepy death metal bands, I'm not sure how such a generalization can be made.

[Kate2008]

Hello,

(I just stopped back in at volconvo after a few years away. Good to see it going strong)

I agree with this choice of a quote from the starter news item (but the quote function in the volconvo software isn't working for me):

"But sometimes an adolescent's musical tastes will reveal nothing. The key to understanding any teenager is to treat them with respect by listening to what they have to say, rather than typecasting them according to the type of music they listen to."

I'm repeatedly concerned when I see the army of helpers who classify, objectify, and then limit the potential of the people they measure. It would be interesting to see a reverse-psychology, with measurement being done of the measurers.

:)

[Thanatos]

...what does classical say about you? Do I even want to know? How about old school rock like Pink Floyd? God I'm so abnormal I'm not even on the charts :)

[Nocebo]

Quote by: Thanatos ...what does classical say about you? Do I even want to know? How about old school rock like Pink Floyd? God I'm so abnormal I'm not even on the charts :)

Thanatos... listening to classical music (both Bach and the Beetles) does not make your abnormal in any way. You aren't alone. Millions of people listen to the exact same music you listen to.

I would like it if these statistics included more types of music, though.

[gela]

*gasp*

Maybe its Satan himself directly implanting messages into the music

http://popbytes.com/img/DJLobsterdus...n-vs-Satan.mp3

[Gods_Mercenary]

Anybody ever listened to stairway to heaven backwards?

[Red_Shadow]

Various rock, German Classical music, I have a tad' of a weak spot for Billy Bragg, and I've always enjoyed Ernst Busch. I have a signed LP by him. :) (

[Failed Design]

Coffins

Heavy as f*ck doom metal.

Fall of Efrafa

crust, dbeat, progressive rock

Tusk Lord

guitary air and noise

[555Maggot666]

There is no way I would believe these statistics are correct... Judging how people are/live by the type of music they listen to is basically judging them by the type of cereal they eat...

"Oh hey, he eats Lucky Charms so he is more likely to commit suicide than that guy over there eating Fruit Loops!"

Music doesn't determine what drugs your addicted to or if you want to commit suicide, it is what catches your mind and attention.

If you like heavy metal, then you probably like the raging guitars and loud vocals...

If you like hip-hop, then you probably like fast-paced rhymes and sounds of the beats...

Etc,etc,etc

[karen1]

I like Rap music so much.I also like the Rap music videos.& I also have a video.Watch out it.
YouTube - Notorious 2009 HD Teaser Trailer

[Trojan_Ripper]

Southern Rock and I think we deserve our own category.

Something like this:

SOUTHERN ROCK: Higher levels of just being high and loving/living life to the extreme. Struggles with unprotected sex but most are married anyway. Outgoing and have way too much fun while gathering in groups. Watch for signs of exhilaration while listening to songs about highways, trains, and trees jumping out in front of them. BLACKFOOT | Official Web Site

“A rose by another name still smells sweet.”

[Dieval]

I didn't see Classic Rock as an option...guess I'm just fine then

[Trojan_Ripper]

Quote by: Dieval I didn't see Classic Rock as an option...guess I'm just fine then

Wow dieval, that should be a whole other thread…..I think I’ll start one. Post your favorite classic rock song for all of us to enjoy and bring back old/new memories.

I think we’ll all make it after all.

[shawmutt]

I listen to whatever the voices tell me to.

But seriously, I am the only one I know who can tolerate the sheer range of genres I go through in a sitting. Internet radio was a huge blessing to me.

Funny thing about that, I just deleted all my stations on Pandora.com, and started all new radio stations based on video games and movies. I now have radio stations set for the Grand Theft Auto series, including the variety of 80s styles from Vice City, the 90s from San Andreas, and the more up to date of GTA:IV. To add to the madness I threw in artists from Fallout 3 (old jazz) and a few movies--artists from Matrix soundtrack, and Underworld--

The resulting chaos is truly heavenly. OK, now, what am I??? Huh???

[Gods_Mercenary]

My tastes range from classical to lil' wayne, so I too dare you to categorize me. I hate it when people refuse to give any music a chance.