Lovers of heavy metal don’t endure pain longer because they feel it less, but because they accept it better — this is what a new study by the Max Planck Institute shows, carried out on location at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany.
The study, published in August 2026, examined pain tolerance in 122 metalheads at Wacken. The researchers measured how long they could keep their hand and forearm in ice-cold water, while at the same time recording heart rate and its variability via electrocardiography.
«Until now we knew that suppressed anger has the biggest effect on pain intensity in patients with chronic pain. We wanted to see whether the experience of pain changes with a kind of music like heavy metal, which expresses quite unpleasant emotions, mainly anger,» explains Lydia Schneider, first author of the study.
© MPI CBS
The study showed that the participants did not find the pain less unpleasant nor were they less sensitive to it. On the contrary, they were able to endure it for a longer period of time — an indication of greater resilience and acceptance of unpleasant sensations. The results are clearest when only those who had drunk no or little alcohol are taken into account, since alcohol can unpredictably affect pain tolerance.
Tom Fritz, who directed the study, stresses the importance for patients with chronic pain: «In a clinical setting, music is often used to induce positive emotions and relaxation. But when it comes to letting your anger out, you don’t necessarily want relaxing music. The acceptance of unpleasant emotional states plays a central role in resilience and pain tolerance». Heavy metal — or «angry» music in general — could thus play a preventive role in stopping acute pain from becoming chronic.
What do you say?
You who listen to metal: has it ever happened that music helps you endure difficult moments — physical or mental? Tell us your opinion in the comments!
See also
12 Unique Metal Festivals You Must Put on Your List · Tolminator IV – Metal As Fuck Summer Vacation
Source: Max Planck Institute (mpg.de)
