Music heals the heart, a saying that has recently been confirmed.
A new study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, published in JAMA Pediatrics, shows that over the past two decades, popular rap music lyrics have increasingly involved issues such as anxiety, depression and mental health, and that's like opening a window of dialogue for listeners to help them overcome mental illness.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > rap songs increasingly involve psychological issues</h1>
The study's researcher, Alex Kresovich, Ph.D. of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said: "I think this trend has been felt by any rap music fan, including me, over the past two decades. This makes sense, as suicide rates among young Americans rose 60 percent between 2007 and 2018. ”
Indeed, in the 20 years from 1998 to 2018, rap songs mentioning "suicide" grew from zero to 12 percent; rap songs related to depression increased from 16 percent to 32 percent; and related mental health disorders increased from 8 percent to 44 percent.
Image source: Figureworm Creative
The study analyzed 125 rap songs released by North American artists. The songs are selected from the top 25 songs released in 1998, 2003, 2013 and 2018. The majority of these artists are black males (78%) with an average age of 28. Overall, 28 percent of the songs mentioned anxiety, more than 20 percent mentioned depression, and 6 percent touched on suicide.
Krisović noted: "We found a significant increase in the number of popular rap songs that mention depression, suicide and psychological disorders. The songs contain words like "being pushed to the edge" or "losing my mind." ”
For example, Krisovich's special mention of "Deep Reverence," a 2020 Grammy nominee by Big Sean, has this lyric:
"In high school, I studied chemistry and biology, but I didn't learn how to deal with anxiety, and I didn't know how I could feel like I was alone on an island, feeling incredibly depressed, extremely depressed." 」
In 2017, Logic's (American rapper)'s super hit "1-800-273-8255" mentioned a "suicide prevention counseling hotline", raising the vigilance of young people.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > take advantage of the celebrity effect</h1>
Krisović, a music producer and songwriter in his early years, adds: "Rap stars like Logic, Jay-Z, Kanye West, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper and BigShawn have been at the forefront of opening the mental health conversation." ”
Krisović said: "Kanye's 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak was groundbreaking in expressing emotions and opened the way for a new generation of rap artists. ”
But what does rap music mean for the mental health of listeners?
Krisović emphasized that rap stars are very attractive to young people and are highly influential role models, and rap is also the most popular music genre in the United States at present. "Considering that young people are the main audience for pop music, and young people are suffering from various mental illnesses at the moment, rap songs with this information can resonate so widely that I feel like they are calling for help."
Pamela Rutledge, director of the Center for Media Psychology Research in Corona Del Mar, Calif., agrees.
Ratrich, who was not involved in the study, said: "Celebrities have become authorities and role models with success and popularity, and their mention of mental health issues has a great response. Pop stars Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato both suffer from depression. Disclosure of this information helps normalize mental health problems and makes receiving treatment a socially acceptable behavior. ”
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > has great potential</h1>
However, Ratritsch cautioned: "The transmission of information is important, whether the artist can avoid denigrating mental illness when talking about mental illness, whether it will encourage the public to accept and seek treatment, or whether mental illness will be a sign of weakness." This is especially important in rap music, because rap music can't always have a positive effect in terms of gender and social acceptance. ”
Still, she notes, "Rap music does have the potential to increase patients' willingness to access information and ask for help, reducing their likelihood of hiding their condition, depression, anxiety and even suicide." ”
Krisović agreed with Ratrich, but said it was unclear whether the rap songs were working well or badly. "That said, just starting this conversation is a big step forward. It is hoped that those rap artists who openly disclose their mental health problems can serve as role models and become an important force in reversing the trend of young people's mental health. ”
Original source: UPI
原文标题：Rap music helping open conversation on mental health, study says