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Do you think metal fans are more intelligent than the average person?
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Original post

Posted by Haddonfield, 20.07.2009 - 01:55
I know this might seem a wierd topic but it's something I've considered for a long time. I will explain. When I was in high school, not many people listened to rock or metal, as you would expect from 11 to 15 year olds. I think people find their personilty at around 16 or 17 years old. We were about 5 rock (metal) fans in a school of 400 pupils. When I moved on to Lycee (French equivalent to College), there were slighty more rock/metal fans, it's funny to notice how those people who listened to Nirvana and co. back in high school suddenly appeared to listen to all sorts of metal bands. We were all drawn together. Basically every metalhead in the school new the others. We were a maximum of 30 metalheads out of 700 students. I must mention now that in high school and Lycee, the rock/metal fans were always average students, getting average marks without working at all, and I was one of them. When I moved on to Uni, it seemed most my metal friends had to, and many more from over colleges. In the first year, of English studies, we were a full line in the amphitheatre who the lecturers depised and saw as rejects and future dropouts. Again, we all got slightly about average grades, just enough to get through to the following year with the minimum of work. Funny enough, along the years us metalheads managed to progress from year to year whilst others droped out. In our third year we were like 20 out of 60 students. During my masters degree, we were 5 out of fifteen. It's as if we're the only people with a mind capable of analysing a subject quickly and intelligently are capable of understanding the beauty of metal. I would like to know whether other people have experienced or noticed similar things or whether it was a one of matter that occured during my education (although the amount of fresh metalhead students turning up every year at Uni tends to justify my statement).

PS: A mate made me notice the same thing with left handed people. Every year the proportion of left handed people in the class tended to rise, I remember one lesson when there were more lefthanded people than right handed and that is not natural.
07.12.2013 - 08:13
Get_thrashed

I actually do specially in my country because they broke free of the sick community in Syria.. go ahead Syrian smart asses!!
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21.12.2013 - 14:29
obZen.

Metal is amazing but it's not a reason that metalheads are amazing,too
it depends on you that how to use and learn things from Metal
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the only thing i know is i'm in love with Metal...
limits are not important
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26.12.2013 - 21:57
Ritual_Suicide
Account deleted
Most metalheads I've met irl have been pretty dim actually.
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26.12.2013 - 22:05
angel.
Evil Butterfly
I used to think that they were somewhat intellects but now I would say nor intelligent neither intellectual they are.
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The Fangirl.
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27.12.2013 - 11:22
Termi

As far as I've read in various psychological studies (though you always have to take them with a pinch of salt), a preference for metal is linked with above average/high openness to experience, a personality trait which encompasses the need for intellectuality and new experiences. It has been linked to increased crystallized intelligence (that is: knowledge), though only weakly with fluid intelligence ("real" intelligence). One study also claimed that openness to experience is associated with self-assessed intelligence (I feel as if this mainly affected progheads just like those who prefere classical and jazz).

For once, Wikipedia is also a valid summary of the topic, even if it doesn't directly speak of metal.

http://www.metalinjection.net/latest-news/metal-science/new-study-says-metalheads-dont-like-religion-and-love-being-unique
http://roanoke.edu/Documents/Buchholz/Fivefactormodel.PDF
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Openness_to_experience#Intelligence_and_knowledge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology_of_music_preference#Openness_to_experience
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28.12.2013 - 07:04
UPDIRNS

Overall in my experience I'd say YES. The metal-heads I socialize with are very intellectual and not the belligerent concert goers that act like fools and go to the concerts because the music is loud and aggressive. I love metal because it holds profound meaning to my life and to the world around me. It's art incarnate and ever changing. I'ts not pop culture and that adds to what makes it special and unique. When I meet someone else like me the conversation takes on an entirely serious and emotional meaning for both parties. Healthy debates are ignited, new ideas and bands are brought up and discussed, similarities in tastes are almost always found and a strong bond is formed. Metal is the underground in today's musically society and when you find someone that has the same emotional depth with the type of music you LOVE it's pretty fucking cool.
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28.12.2013 - 13:15
Darth Revan

This is a case where a square is a rectangle but a rectangle is not a square. When I say that, I mean intelligent people usually listen to metal and classical (complexity draws intelligence), but those who listen to metal aren't necessarily smart. There's a subset of angsty 12 year olds who listen to Avenged Sevenfold on loop, and I wouldn't call any of them particularly intelligent.
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28.12.2013 - 21:29
Uldreth

Written by Darth Revan on 28.12.2013 at 13:15

This is a case where a square is a rectangle but a rectangle is not a square. When I say that, I mean intelligent people usually listen to metal and classical (complexity draws intelligence), but those who listen to metal aren't necessarily smart. There's a subset of angsty 12 year olds who listen to Avenged Sevenfold on loop, and I wouldn't call any of them particularly intelligent.

Nope.

You cannot equate intelligence with music taste at all. It is not a matter of intelligence but focus. Intricate music will draw those who are focused on music, as opposed to someone who uses it only as background entertainment. What people focus on is totally their business. And intelligence itself is way too complex of a term to generalize like that.

Also metal isn't exactly that complex. Some of it is, some of it isn't. And also nice job generalizing Avenged Sevenfold fans...
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28.12.2013 - 22:03
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by Uldreth on 28.12.2013 at 21:29
...generalizations...

Hit the nail on the head with this post. You can be a complete moron or a genius or anything in between and love or hate or anything in between all different types of art.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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28.12.2013 - 22:43
mz

I remember that I had a long discussion with one of my friends who claimed that people going to Classical concerts are intellectual. Generally, I don't really think that your listening habits can affect your mind drastically and vice versa. Most of metalheads I've met have been totally not intellectual at all and by that I don't mean that they were stupid people. Average metalheads just happen to normal or average, like fans of other musical genres.
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01.01.2014 - 05:12
JavierML

This is a very interesting topic.
If you would like to consider IQ as a term to measure intelligence, well, the answer is yes. Don't have the source, but I've read somewhere that people who listen to Metal tend to have higher's IQ's. That's, generalizing, of course. It might imply that you're not a subject of social prejudice, as Metal is synonim, in many cultures; of dirty, lazy pothead; which talks a lot about your capability to question the paradigms of society.
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04.01.2014 - 00:49
Arkadiusz

First of all, i believe that intelligence is relative such as many other things.
from an objective point of view, intelligence is NOT based on the amount of information u have, but on beeing capable to understand as many things as posible, in any way.
i think it's wrong to believe that if somebody is addicted to alcohol or/and drugs, he is certainly less smart than somebody else. u can surely be smart without caring about your life. what the hell, we only have one life, why wouldn't we do the things we like most?!
metalheads are capable of understanding facts that average people don't, like metal music or the hypocrisy of religion and of society broadly speaking.
so i believe that YES, metal fans are more intelligent than average people.
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04.01.2014 - 00:53
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by Arkadiusz on 04.01.2014 at 00:49
metalheads are capable of understanding facts that average people don't, like metal music or the hypocrisy of religion and of society broadly speaking.

Where are you getting that? What kind of facts can we understand that others can't? How is metal music something more challenging to understand than other forms of music? And how can you say only metalheads are capable of understanding the hypocrisy of religion? Those are just a bunch of vague elitist statements trying to make metalheads feel superior to others, which in turn just makes us look collectively like assholes.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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04.01.2014 - 02:28
Arkadiusz

Written by Troy Killjoy on 04.01.2014 at 00:53

How is metal music something more challenging to understand than other forms of music?


are u serious? most of average people think about metalheads that they are dangerous, satanists, anarchists, junkies, bullies & so on... they believe that metal music is all about that kind of stuff.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 04.01.2014 at 00:53

And how can you say only metalheads are capable of understanding the hypocrisy of religion?


i didn't say ONLY metalheads.
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Let the world burn down cuz i wanna smoke my cigar!
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04.01.2014 - 02:36
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by Arkadiusz on 04.01.2014 at 02:28
are u serious? most of average people think about metalheads that they are dangerous, satanists, anarchists, junkies, bullies & so on... they believe that metal music is all about that kind of stuff.

And they aren't entirely wrong, even assuming "most" people do in fact think that way. (I would argue in my experience that those "most" you're referring to are typically conservative and/or ignorant people who not only judge metal unfairly but also stereotype anything else they don't understand.)
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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04.01.2014 - 03:16
Skl3ros

Lol you both are kinda arguing past each other

personal opinion:

insert random 'intelligence is relative' and 'u can't generalize' stuff

besides that I do understand where the question is coming from since there seems to be a certain amount of people that is listening to metal because they feel shitty and have experienced bad stuff in their lives and are therefor more sensitive which can be interpreted as intelligent. also metal is often more complex then pop music e.g. so that one could argue that only stupid people listen to 'easy music' and metal is for the smart. (which would still be a very unstable argument though)

at the same time we have these completely mindless primitive metalheads (e.g. those thinking they serve satan if they lsiten bm and whatnot) or people who think they are smart because they read somewhere that metal = intelligence but are exactly the opposite (being truly smart = being humble) so I guess both extremes exist and are kinda balanced so that to conclude no we are generally not smarter then other people. individually maybe.
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04.01.2014 - 03:27
Mattybu

Written by Skl3ros on 04.01.2014 at 03:16

at the same time we have these completely mindless primitive metalheads (e.g. those thinking they serve satan if they lsiten bm and whatnot)


Maybe those people are just idiots in the first place though? I would think the ketchup pentagram on the floor type metal heads are in very small numbers these days as well.

But the same goes for any other idiot that is a metalhead, they were probably an idiot in the first place.

I think the comments about not making generalizations are right, really intelligence and music taste are two separate things, and as for the arguments that metalheads are the only ones who aren't blind to all the religious hypocrisy and illuminati putting flouride in drinking water blah blah blah, I would think a lot of "regular people" just don't really care about that stuff in their music.
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04.01.2014 - 03:30
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by Mattybu on 04.01.2014 at 03:27
I would think the ketchup pentagram on the floor type metal heads are in very small numbers these days as well.

You mock my lifestyle, but I will have the last laugh. The Lord of Condiments will rise again and you shall suffer his wrath.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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04.01.2014 - 03:34
Mattybu

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04.01.2014 - 03:38
Skl3ros

Written by Mattybu on 04.01.2014 at 03:27
I think the comments about not making generalizations are right

if you are referring to me, I didn't meant to undermine that, on the contrary generalizations are stupid, just didn't want to repeat what many other ppl had already said.
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04.01.2014 - 03:51
Mattybu

Written by Skl3ros on 04.01.2014 at 03:38

Written by Mattybu on 04.01.2014 at 03:27
I think the comments about not making generalizations are right

if you are referring to me, I didn't meant to undermine that, on the contrary generalizations are stupid, just didn't want to repeat what many other ppl had already said.


I know, I was more just chiming in with my own comment on it all, and I guess the repetitiveness of it all stems from the fact that I don't really think there's a whole lot to say about this topic.
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04.01.2014 - 09:34
-DC-002-
Mastercommander
Written by Troy Killjoy on 28.12.2013 at 22:03

Written by Uldreth on 28.12.2013 at 21:29
...generalizations...

Hit the nail on the head with this post. You can be a complete moron or a genius or anything in between and love or hate or anything in between all different types of art.


If this thread required an answer then this would be it and you could now lock it
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Coldgrits
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10.01.2014 - 07:34
CobiWan1993
Secundum Filium
Like I said before metal heads aren't any more or less intelligent than the average person, if anything there's generally quite a few elitists in the metal community who believe they are superior to the average person just because of their own personal interests and tastes. Doesn't make them more intelligent, just snobbish, pretty much like the attitude of some prog-rock fans.
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Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe (Lao Tzu).
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10.01.2014 - 07:40
no one
Account deleted
Written by CobiWan1993 on 10.01.2014 at 07:34

if anything there's generally quite a few elitists in the metal community who believe they are superior to the average person just because of their own personal interests and tastes. Doesn't make them more intelligent, just snobbish, pretty much like the attitude of some prog-rock fans.

since getting into metal i have noticed this, there seem to be people who, because they know a lot about metal think they know everything about everything.
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10.01.2014 - 10:43
angel.
Evil Butterfly
Just an off-topic comment, I adore how you discuss things, Troy.
To be back on topic, like Troy said it's not that wrong that bunch of headbangers are junkies,bullies, anarchist and such... actually some of them had totally forgot about music itself ! And they funnily just lurk around the trivia more. I can't really call a group of people intelligent for the music they have.
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10.01.2014 - 12:51
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by CobiWan1993 on 10.01.2014 at 07:34

Like I said before metal heads aren't any more or less intelligent than the average person, if anything there's generally quite a few elitists in the metal community who believe they are superior to the average person just because of their own personal interests and tastes. Doesn't make them more intelligent, just snobbish, pretty much like the attitude of some prog-rock fans.


remaind sme some ''old'' guys at MS
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10.01.2014 - 12:52
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by angel. on 10.01.2014 at 10:43

Just an off-topic comment, I adore how you discuss things, Troy.
To be back on topic, like Troy said it's not that wrong that bunch of headbangers are junkies,bullies, anarchist and such... actually some of them had totally forgot about music itself ! And they funnily just lurk around the trivia more. I can't really call a group of people intelligent for the music they have.


this is how we can decribe a football hooligan LOL, forgot why he is a team ''fan'', simply go and fight and leither forgot why he fights
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
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I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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18.04.2015 - 14:53
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Does I am only one who think those ''trOO'' metalheads like one style people like Marduk burns, manowar kills, Venom forever, Venom is Black metal, type of people are total morrons?
I don't req people since myspace and my old facebook days, I maybe do 4 per year (unless real life people what I know) some do request me
Gosh those Manowar , and other steel bulshit ppl are morrons, edd me in 100 groups, I removed all , go eat some food, come back 59 same groups and 100 new groups, and share some manowar shit on my wall.

Then I delete and block, then he request whit other and say I am racist ... and add me to groups, of corse I block lad and reject his other 4 account reuqst

Da faq, idiots has life? I sit here 23 H per day but I don't open 4 accounts, I don't send 20000000 group invites and post shit on other ppl wall, don't invite then like, send event invetins and suchj idiotism ... gosh
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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18.04.2015 - 19:35
Joppe
Steelemeister
Written by Bad English on 18.04.2015 at 14:53

Does I am only one who think those ''trOO'' metalheads like one style people like Marduk burns, manowar kills, Venom forever, Venom is Black metal, type of people are total morrons?
I don't req people since myspace and my old facebook days, I maybe do 4 per year (unless real life people what I know) some do request me
Gosh those Manowar , and other steel bulshit ppl are morrons, edd me in 100 groups, I removed all , go eat some food, come back 59 same groups and 100 new groups, and share some manowar shit on my wall.

Then I delete and block, then he request whit other and say I am racist ... and add me to groups, of corse I block lad and reject his other 4 account reuqst

Da faq, idiots has life? I sit here 23 H per day but I don't open 4 accounts, I don't send 20000000 group invites and post shit on other ppl wall, don't invite then like, send event invetins and suchj idiotism ... gosh


Manowar's truest fans (of true metal of steel) in the world! MANOWARRIORS Hail Odin! Kill all posers!
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19.04.2015 - 00:21
angel.
Evil Butterfly
Some average retards are more intelligent than metal fans.
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The Fangirl.
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