Listen to heavy metal? You may have low self-esteem: Psychologist reveals personality traits of Slipknot and Metallica fans Study found that most metal fans have a strong need to be individual The lower self-esteem was linked to negative attitudes towards authority Earlier research found that metal fans have many personality traits in common with those who enjoy classical music Heavy metal music fans are often labelled as angry and unruly - but how close is this to the truth? A study by Westminster University has attempted to find out by digging deep into what makes metal aficionados tick. Psychologist Viren Swami asked 219 women and 195 men living in the UK to fill out surveys about their personality after listening to and rating 10 heavy metal tracks. People with a strong preference for music such as Slipknot were more likely to have lower self-esteem The research, published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, focused on contemporary metal music characterised by heavy guitar riffs, double-bass drumming, complex rhythms and extreme tempos. By matching music preference to the personality traits, Professor Swami found that "openness to experience" was a major factor in enjoying heavy metal. Metal heads have a higher-than-average need for uniqueness, and lower-than-average levels of religiosity The University of Westminster found that heavy metal fans have 4 main personality traits: Open to new experiences Low self-esteem A need to be individual Lower-than-average religiosity Perhaps more surprising however, was the fact that those with a strong preference for metal were more likely to have lower self-esteem. Metal heads also had a higher-than-average need for uniqueness, and lower-than-average levels of religiosity. "It is possible that this association is driven by underlying attitudes towards authority, which may include religious authorities," said the authors of the study. The catharsis afforded by heavy metal may, in turn, help boost self-worth and promote positive self-evaluations among those with otherwise low self-esteem. "Rather than stereotyping fans as deviant, antisocial, or violent, it may be more fruitful to understand the psychological needs that contemporary heavy metal fill for some individuals," the researchers conclude. The research focused on contemporary metal music such as tracks by Metallica which are characterised by heavy guitar riffs, double-bass drumming, complex rhythms and extreme tempos A separate study by Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh found that lovers of heavy metal and classical music have very similar personality traits. Unlike the Westminster University study, it found that both types tend to be creative, at ease with themselves and introverted. Like classical lovers, metal fans verge on the obsessive about their music. They have divided the genre into ever smaller sub-groups such as death metal, thrash metal, Christian metal, glam metal and neo-classical metal. The Scottish study - based on online interviews as far afield as China and Chile - also revealed that many of the stereotypes about other musical tastes hold true. Jazz fans, for instance are creative, outgoing and chilled out. Country and Western fans are hard-working, reggae fans are laidback, punk fans are aggressive and creative, while fans of indie bands lack self-esteem.