Is There a Correlation Between Music Preferences and Suicide?
It’s a topic that no one wants to think about, and many people’s worst nightmare, but suicide is one of the nation’s leading causes of death. Suicide is more prevalent in developed nations; there are a few speculations as to why this is. Firstly, many developed nations have a great focus on the individual as opposed to outside forces. In that respect, the thought process becomes if you don’t succeed, or are unsuccessful, then it is because you, as an individual, are lacking. Other nations and countries link this to things like luck or have a religious explanation for not being successful, so the burden is not placed as heavily on the individual.
Feeling responsible and living in a world that constantly assigns blame, it’s no wonder people may seek to escape. However, this is only one reason a person may choose to end their life. Pain, be it physical, emotional, or psychological, is still pain. and it is can be detrimental and scared to lose a loved one to suicide. But what does this have to do with music?
One study titled Adolescent suicide: music preference as an indicator of vulnerability by Martin G, Clarke M, Pearce C. found that adolescents with the preferred music genre or rock or metal had a higher likelihood of having suicidal thoughts and self-harming behaviors. They also found that depression, delinquency, and family issues are other contributing factor. Does this mean that music is causing teenagers to be suicide? No, one thing to remember when analyzing research is that correlation does not equal causation. People may be drawn to certain sounds or musical types because it is familiar to them, or they feel like they can vent or express themselves with this particular type of music.
More research between suicide and music needs to be done; however, knowing can make it easier to spot potential risk factors so that you can establish protective factors in your life and the lives of others.