Men play in extreme metal bands to impress other men, according to a recent study

According to a recent study from Oakland University, men play in extreme metal bands to impress other men. Study called “Extreme metal guitar skill: a case of male-male status seeking, mate attraction, or byproduct?” says that music is believed to have two functions – to serve as a tool of sexual selection or because the human brain is so complex that we can actually make music.

The study concludes that it is highly unlikely that an extreme metal musician would try to increase his own mating success through his music because most of the musicians in the genre are men. However, musicians in this genre invest a lot of time in developing their technical skills, which raises the question of the purpose of this time-consuming investment.

The research suggests that it may be that men play in extreme metal bands in order to achieve a higher social status and to impress other men.

The study looked at 44 heterosexual male metal guitarists and examined their practice habits, sexual behaviour and sense of competition with the same sex. The results showed that basically men are just trying to impress each other. Or as the study more eloquently puts it, “the results showed that time spent playing chords predicted the desire to have casual sex with women, while perceptions of playing speed positively predicted intrasexual competitiveness (the desire to impress other men).”

You can read the full study here.

Research shows that heterosexual men who learn to play extreme metal guitar are mostly motivated to do so in order to impress other heterosexual men.

— Quite Interesting (@qikipedia) October 2, 2022