According to the latest study of British scientists, teens who lock themselves in their bedrooms to blare out heavy metal music may do it in order to deal with the pressures of being gifted.
The research claimed that teenagers frequently work off the stresses and strains of being a bright stranger by means of listening to such bands as System Of A Down, Slipknot and Tool.
The investigators questioned over one thousand members of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth, whose members are positioned among the brightest five per cent of young people in the UK.
An imprecise stereotype
"There exists a perception of gifted and talented learners as being into classical music and spending a lot of time reading books.
"In my opinion, that is a wrong stereotype," Stuart Cadwallader, a University of Warwick psychologist who is presenting the results of the research to the British Psychological Society Wednesday, told the Daily Telegraph.
"We are observing a group of students with lower than average self-esteem that does not feel quite as well adjusted.
A method of alleviating stress
"They feel more stressed out and start listening to heavy metal music as a meethod of alleviating that stress."
Cadwallader also said that fans of heavy metal music frequently appreciate the "complex and sometimes political themes" of the music.
"It has a inclination to make adults afraid a bit but I think it is just a cathartic thing," he explained.
"It does not suggest problems." A lot of heavy metal’s biggest stars are closet geeks - Brian May, guitarist with Queen, is at present finishing a doctorate in astrophysics, whereas Iron Maiden star Bruce Dickinson is a history graduate, international fencer and well-skilled commercial pilot.
