Music Subculture

Music is a seemingly universal art form that penetrates essentially all forms of pop culture while still existing as self-contained form of entertainment. Because of the massive cultural importance of music, many individuals define themselves by their musical interests. This raises a question: do people’s musical likes and dislikes define them? Many studies have been done regarding music and its correlation with personality or behaviours, especially for “harder” genres (punk, metal, etc.). However, there is not a significant amount of data to confirm existing stereotypes regarding the aggression, health, or morality of listeners of hard music genres.
In a study of University of Texas at Austin students, 60 students were paired with each other.

The student pairs were then were asked to get to know each other online, and in the first five weeks of the study music was recorded as the most commonly discussed topic (Rentfrow and Gosling, 237). Music allows us to better understand new people because, although it is obviously a form of expression for the musician, it is also a form of expression for listeners. This is demonstrated in Ryan McNutt’s essay “Music We Hate: Joanna Newsom”. McNutt asks “Is it wrong to want my music to fight for my attention?” This question is significant because of the possessive pronouns McNutt uses to describe music he likes in spite of the fact that he had no role in composing or performing it. Henry Rollins of punk band Black Flag writes about the importance of music for LAWEEKLY. He writes: “[in childhood] I existed in a world of rules, intimidation and adherence to a straight, narrow line of thinking. Music provided perspective and escape. The older I got, the more it played a part in my life.” (Rollins). Music is significant when getting to know people because it can be, and often is, an incredibly personal and intimate experience, regardless of a person’s personal musical talents or experiences.
Music’s omnipresent status within our culture and its significant personal importance has led to many subcultures emerging from musical genres.

Youth, in particular, gravitate to some of the most striking subculture. Youth who identify with similar subcultures often share similar traits, however, traits shared within a subculture do not necessarily have to be positive or negative. For example, a 2009 Swedish study demonstrated that youth who identify with subcultures that emphasise extreme appearances are more likely to be anxious, shy, or “socially inhibited” than youth who belong to more traditional social groups (Bešić and Kerr, 118). Three major extreme subcultures were examined within the Swedish study: punks, goths and synths. All three are musically influenced, punk and goth subcultures are somewhat universally recognized, with the remaining subculture defined within the study: “synths are named for their interest in electronically synthesized music, and they are recognized by severe, all-black clothing and dyed-black hair” (Bešić and Kerr, 116). Although youth within a subculture may share similar traits, it is important to note that in spite of the significant link between music and subculture, there are important distinctions between the two. Although there is an interesting relationship between hardcore subcultures and associated youth, the correlation between musical interest and personality or behaviour is less

obvious.
Some studies have found that hardcore music may lead to negative behaviour. One such study was conducted in 1999, and it found that self-reported suicidal risk for metal fans was higher than fans of other, softer, genres (Scheel and Westefeld, 263). Other studies have shown that troubled youth may be attracted to harder genres, however “While the research does not suggest that music causes such behaviours, it may well be that music preference is indicative of an underlying emotional disturbance or vulnerability” (Baker and Bor, 286). Another study which tracked both the behaviours and music interest of Dutch, Swiss, American and Canadian children from ages 12-16 found that kids who showed early interest in “hip-hop, metal, goth, punk, trance or techno” music were more likely to be involved in “minor delinquency” in their later teen years (“Musical Tastes May Predict Problem”). However, it is notable that the wide range of genres included in the “predictors of minor delinquency” category are those that are typically most popular with youth; in the study, classical music and jazz were unsurprisingly identified as the least likely to predict problematic behaviour.
Despite the seemingly obvious nature of the relationship between hard music and negative behaviours, things are more complicated than they initially seem. A 1992 study of 49 unique metro regions showed an interesting correlation between country music radio airtime and Caucasian suicide rates (Srack and Gundlach, 215). While the study does not say country music is a direct cause of suicide, it does point out that country music and its related subcultures “can impact on suicide rates” by fostering pre-existing suicidal thoughts. Interestingly, suicidal tendencies is not necessarily a trait societally assigned to fans of country music, especially when considering other genres such as “emo” music or metal. Simply put: negative behaviours are not unique to fans of any single genre.
Additionally, American insurance company Kanetix analyzed data regarding both music habits and driving statistics. It was found that listeners of hip-hop were four times more likely to be charged with stunt driving than other drivers. This statistic reaffirms pre-existing stereotypes about hip-hop music and its potentially harmful effects on youth. Furthermore, Kanetix found 48% of metal music fans have between 1-3 speeding tickets, when compared to the 40% average. Interestingly, despite the poor showing of hip-hop and metal music, talk radio was cited as being one of the worst overall categories. People who listen to primarily talk radio are 5% more likely to be in at-fault-accident and 9% more likely than average to have 1-3 speeding tickets which is notably, 1% higher than already above-average metal music (“How Music Impacts Your Driving”). The statistics presented are meaningful because talk radio drivers are just as prone to unsafe driving habits as those in metal or rap categories, despite the fact that metal and rap music are often associated with reckless behaviour while talk radio usually is not.
Despite some evidence that hard music genres may be linked to negative behaviour in youth, violent media critic Douglas Gentile admits “violent music does not seem to have the same effect as violent television and video games.” (Gentile, 169).

Positive behaviours exhibited by hardcore music fans were examined in a 2009 study. Within the study, the category that included fans of punk, rock, and alternative music were actually more conservative with their money than fans in different categories that included more mainstream genres such as: hip-hop, dance, R&B, and electronic (Leung and Kier, “Spending” 691). Interestingly, within that study, metal, ska and punk genres were additionally grouped together, and it was determined that “this factor [metal, ska and punk genres] did not have any significant relationship with attitude towards money” (Leung and Kier, “Spending” 691). The researcher speculated that the anti-establishment messages within the genres could be a factor, although no concrete explanation was

given.
Another study found that people who preferred “intense music”, a category that included classic rock, punk and metal music, were less likely to be “empathizers” and more likely to my “systemizers” (Greenberg et al). The distinction between the two categories is simply defined as: empathizers are more emotionally driven than systemizers, who prefer a logical thought process. The findings of the Greenberg study challenges societal stereotypes, as fans of hardcore music are rarely portrayed as calculating and logical. A very recent study (2015) examined the music-listening behaviours of 123 psychiatric patients. The study’s purpose was to monitor “the change of music preferences following the onset of a mental disorder”, but ultimately the findings concluded that genre was unimportant in improving or diminishing an individual’s odds of success and “emotional modulation” using music (Gebhardt and Georgi 21, 24). Essentially, the study used a patient’s preferred genre(s) to either improve negative moods or enhance positive ones, rather than choosing a genre that seemingly suited the desired outcome.
A survey of 379 Canadian undergraduate students found that, students who listened to music for “self-determined reasons” (e.g. because they enjoy it or personally value it) typically had a higher “global happiness” (Morinville, Miranda, and Gaudreau). This means that, in order to achieve a better global happiness, youth must be allowed to independently develop their own musical interests. However, it is important to note that the “self-determined reasons” within the study were typically positive and self-driven, rather than the mostly negative and externally driven “controlled motivation” category. Thus, although students who listened to music they enjoyed had a higher global happiness, their happiness may also be attributed to a more universal sense of personal motivation and a better sense of self-worth. This is still significant within the context of musical taste because youth who feel freedom of musical choice are typically happier. A 2008 study discovered that fans of punk, metal and ska bands were most likely to display “civic activism”, meaning the factor that included the three genres was ranked as the most likely to actually participate in civically active behaviours such as charity work (Leung and Kier, “Civic” 453).
In conclusion, although some studies may indicate that hardcore genres of music may be harmful to youth, the evidence presented is not extremely compelling when examined alongside studies that indicate equally harmful behaviours emerging from mainstream genres. There is evidence that radical music has no notable effect on personality and behaviour, and some studies indicate that extreme music may even have positive benefits.