Me Music

It's been a while since I've come across anything worth posting, but "A Generation's Vanity, Heard Through Lyrics" definitely makes the cut today. The NY Times article is about a fascinating study of the lyrics of popular music from the last 30 years. The study was controlled for genre, so the results can't be blamed on rap or hip-hop.

What were the results? They concluded that music over the last 30 years has become more self-centered and angry.

“In the early ’80s lyrics, love was easy and positive, and about two people,” says Dr. Twenge, a psychologist at San Diego State University. “The recent songs are about what the individual wants, and how she or he has been disappointed or wronged.”

Not surprisingly,  

During this period, there have also been reports of higher levels of loneliness and depression — which may be no coincidence, according to the authors of the song-lyrics study. These researchers, who include Richard S. Pond of the University of Kentucky, note that narcissism has been linked to heightened anger and problems maintaining relationships.

Also, not surprisingly, not all researchers agree with the findings, although they match the results of decades of student questionnaires aimed at measuring narcissism.

This presents a pretty good example of how the power of words affects our thoughts and, ultimately, our actions. The question I have is, how can you best present this to a young audience without them getting defensive or dismissing it as an "attack" on their music?

Any thoughts?