Finland and the Mind
Finland again ranks #1 in the happiness research. Here’s a list with 10 things that make Finns happy.
But is it perfect? No. People can become melancholic during long winters and might even drink too much. There is no perfect place.
Due to Finland’s extreme climate and the incessant winters of darkness, cold, and low population density, it is common for people to feel and have negative emotions such as anger and depression.
However, it seems that Finns are unaware of a natural solution: heavy metal music.
Finland and Heavy Metal
We can see why Finland has more Metal bands than any other country. A postgraduate course on Heavy Metal is offered at the University of Helsinki. A priest plays Metal music for his masses, which helps keep them interested.
Burning point band in Finland is best in Metal music.
Can metal music be used to help with anger or depression?
Tabloids often associate Heavy Metal with related genres (Death-/Black-/Folk-Metal, or Metalcore) because they have the potential to provoke aggression or criminal behaviour.
However, is this true? An Australian team of researchers conducted a study that asked subjects to be angry and to then listen to their favourite (extremely) music. The control group was asked to remain silent. Objectively, emotions were measured (e.g. Emotions were then measured objectively (e.g., by counting beats per minutes) and subjectively through interviews and questionnaires.
The results? Extreme music does not cause anger. It helps listeners process negative emotions and calms them down. It can also be used to inspire and stimulate activity. Researchers concluded that extreme music doesn’t provoke anger. It helps people who listen to it calm down and process negative emotions. Additionally, it can stimulate feelings of inspiration and activity.
The Finns (well, Justin Currie who said at his concert at Triple Door Seattle that they liked rock more the further north they travel) seem to have found a way to counter the negative effects of the environment on the Finns’ psyches. They turn the problem into something positive.