Were You A Metalhead In The ’80s? Now You’re A Responsible Adult!

Remember the big lyrics scare of the late '80s prompted by Tipper Gore and her political friends? They were afraid that listening to all that heavy metal music was corrupting our youth.

As it turns out, metalheads wound up being pretty well rounded adults. 

A new study released this week shows that children who listened to heavy metal music in the '80s were happier than most kids, and more responsible as adults.

While their risky behavior like experimenting with sex and drugs did leave a mark, their social structures were stronger and this led to an ability to handle problems with more maturity than their non-rocking counterparts.

"Despite the challenges of adverse childhood events, and other stressful and risky events in their youth," the researchers write, former metal aficionados "reported higher levels of youthful happiness" than peers with other musical tastes as well as today's college students. "They were also less likely to have any regrets about things they had done in their youth."

In fact, those who focused on types of music outside of heavy metal "sought psychological counseling for emotional problems more than any other group, indicating a less happy and fulfilling perspective on their 1980s adolescence." Perhaps, then, Tipper Gore and company were focusing their concern on the wrong kids.

 

Put that in your New Kids on the Block pipe and smoke it!

So how did Metalheads survive to become "middle-class, gainfully employed, relatively well-educated" adults? An article in the Pacific Standard indicates it was because they had a lot of like minded friends.

"Social support is a crucial protective factor for troubled youth," they point out. "Fans and musicians alike felt a kinship in the metal community, and a way to experience heightened emotions with like-minded people." This sense of belonging ultimately helped propel their positive transition to maturity.