Metal fans may have just gained scientific backing for the claim that their music tastes make them tougher. Neuroscientists from Germany's Max Planck Institute say attendees at the Wacken Open Air festival were able to withstand cold-induced pain for longer after several days of live metal. The study, conducted on-site in 2023 and published in Scientific Reports, had 122 metal fans dunk their non-dominant hand and forearm in cold water and hold it there for as long as they could, Gizmodo reports. Half did so before the festival, and the other half after attending for three or four days. The latter group was just as sensitive to the pain and rated it as unpleasant as the others but were able to endure it longer.
Listening to music is linked to relaxation and pain relief through the release of oxytocin. But the study notes that "common themes in metal music," including accepting and expressing difficult emotions like anger, are also key to pain tolerance and resilience. Indeed, "suppressed anger has the greatest effect on intensifying pain experiences in patients with chronic pain," lead study author Lydia Schneider says in a release. She suggests that the participants who spent days listening to metal music "may have accepted the unpleasant sensations associated with the pain experience to a greater extent and focused on the factors they could influence themselves." Researchers say the findings indicate "angry music" could form part of pain-management strategies.
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