People and Music

Is it possible to learn something about the people by knowing the kind of music they listen to? I got this doubt after realizing that most rock/ heavy metal singers have either committed suicide or are drug addicts while most classical singers seem to have a very happy and very satisfactory life. Thats quite a difference to oversee. I started noting what my friends listen to and what their qualities are. Interesting finds:
- most friends who love heavy metal/ rock love to go to clubs and get drunk
- most friends who love classical music like to spend quiet evenings at home and with laughs and food
- very few friends seem to enjoy all types of music, most do like classic rock, soft rock

I feel that most people who are depressed listen to heavy metal if they dont want to get out of it and soothing music when they are trying to get out of it. A soothing music definitely has impact on one's mind. It is no coincidence that kids sleep to a lullaby. I really doubt if anyone can sleep in a heavy metal concert.

It could be the urge to be different that drives people to these extreme music tastes, some to the extreme classical and some to the extreme noisy, banging sounds with no apparent harmony in the sound. I for one just like to listen to music to calm my mind and to lift my spirits. I listen to someone of the sweetest sad songs and cant believe how one can put those feelings into such moving words and compose music that just melts my heart. Even though I can feel the pain, it is such a sweet pain that I dont mind having it again and again. One such song is here:

One of the reasons I was interested in knowing whether we can profile people by knowing their music habits is to find and help potential people who could end up with depression. In the past two months I have read at least three shootings involving innocent people. Lets say there was a way to find these people out, we could've stopped these shooting. Agreed that what I quoted is an extreme example, but what about people who are mentally eaten by their emotional distress and have problem expressing it? You never want people who are like ducks, calm on the surface and kicking their legs inside having problems.

I wonder now if music is used as part of therapy. I am pretty sure they do. Music helped me calm down when I find myself feeling out of control. Very fascinating that people studied music as early as the start of civilizations. May be they realized the importance of sound on human mind :)