Metallica and Mood Swings

Columbia University professor and psychiatrist Galina Mindlin believes that listening to songs with a certain number of beats per minute can trigger specific mental states (e.g. productivity, relaxation, etc). She argues that changing the type of music is a cheap - and no-side-effect - remedy to the ups and downs of life.

Metallica, according to Mindlin, can help relieve depression. Mindlin also noted one patient who was a B student who became an A student after switching the type of music she listened to when she studied. Also, fast-frequency music can help ADHD patients whose brains enter a dreamlike state when overwhelmed.

Metallica and Monkeys

A study revealed that cottontop tamarins listened to a variety of music (Bach, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, etc.) but only calmed down when listening to Metallica.

Like in music, in human speech, changing the tone of one's voice, the rhythm, pitch or speed allows one to gauge the emotional state of the speaker. For example, we use long tones for calming a baby while using short tones to indicate seriousness. The study found that monkeys, "interpret rising and falling tones differently than humans."