Why does heavy, exciting music make us want to move?

Heavy music can be an outlet for experiencing intense emotions and their associated physical arousals in a controlled, safe setting.

Exciting music, specifically heavy metal, consumed both in solo and group settings, is an outlet for humans to exercise our strongest emotional arousals and physical responses without fear of judgement or reprisal. The sociological theory of emotional arousal states that our bodies’ physical response to external stimuli- sound, sight, sensations- are what determine our emotions. When we hear exciting music, we want to dance, thrash, and bang our heads, and vast, close-knit communities have sprung up entirely based around this principal. To be able to express those emotions and physical responses to said emotions in a safe setting without fear of reprisal or judgement is extremely important for humanity, especially in a world dominated by increased surveillance and social media.

This website seeks to explore and report on the relationship between heavy metal music and emotional arousal theory: the processes by which emotional arousal manifests and what that looks like, why we are driven to these arousals, its recursive effect on the art that inspires said arousals, and the social dynamics and traditions present when heavy metal is enjoyed in a group setting- specifically, at concerts.

Continue below for a brief overview of what you can expect from this site as well as links to the site’s main pages.