{
  "id": 16315580,
  "title": "Psychologists showed extreme metal fans a series of disgusting images, and their reactions stood out",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/psychologists-showed-extreme-metal-fans-a-series-of-disgusting-images",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-24T10:00:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PsyPost",
    "slug": "psypost",
    "url": "https://www.psypost.org/psychologists-showed-extreme-metal-fans-a-series-of-disgusting-images-and-their-reactions-stood-out/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent study published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts reveals that fans of extreme metal music experience extreme gore-themed art differently than casual listeners. The researchers found that extreme metal enthusiasts showed less disgust and amusement at grotesque visuals compared to non-fans. Psychologists have long considered disgust a basic human emotion, evolved to warn against harmful substances like rotting food or bodily fluids, but individual reactions to it can vary greatly. The subculture of extreme metal bands often embraces grotesque themes, featuring gore, decay, and animalistic lyrics that are appealing to fans. Researchers hypothesized that these fans may treat repulsive visuals as safe or even humorous, rather than seeing them as threatening. To investigate this, a team of scientists designed an experiment to compare how extreme metal fans and non-fans process disgusting imagery as art. The study involved 79 fans of extreme metal and 74 matched non-fans, aged around 30. Participants viewed a series of 16 images, including fine artworks, extreme metal album covers, everyday gross photographs, and neutral control images. Each image was briefly displayed, and the participants' emotional reactions were measured using a psychological model outlining five potential outcomes when viewing art: boredom, surprise, harmony, negative emotions, or personal insight. The results indicated that extreme metal fans had a lower tendency to feel disgusted and were less bothered by repulsive sounds, lyrics, and images than non-fans. The researchers suggest that this difference may be due to a personality trait called morbid curiosity, which is an interest in unpleasant topics like death, or the psychological distance provided by art, making it easier for fans to embrace dark or grotesque emotions as enjoyable experiences.",
  "summary": "People who love extreme metal music report feeling less disgusted by gruesome artworks, album covers, and gross photos than nonfans do. They also tend to find the grotesque art and album covers funnier.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}