A Generation’s Vanity, Heard Through Lyrics

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FINDINGS
A Generation’s Vanity, Heard Through Lyrics
By JOHN TIERNEY
Published: April 25, 2011

“…Now, after a computer analysis of three decades of hit songs, Dr. DeWall and other psychologists report finding what they were looking for: a statistically significant trend toward narcissism and hostility in popular music. As they hypothesized, the words “I” and “me” appear more frequently along with anger-related words, while there’s been a corresponding decline in “we” and “us” and the expression of positive emotions…”

nytimes.com/2011/04/26/science/26tier.html
 
FINDINGS
A Generation’s Vanity, Heard Through Lyrics
By JOHN TIERNEY
Published: April 25, 2011

“…Now, after a computer analysis of three decades of hit songs, Dr. DeWall and other psychologists report finding what they were looking for: a statistically significant trend toward narcissism and hostility in popular music. As they hypothesized, the words “I” and “me” appear more frequently along with anger-related words, while there’s been a corresponding decline in “we” and “us” and the expression of positive emotions…”

nytimes.com/2011/04/26/science/26tier.html
They needed a scientific study to determine this? Just listen to rap music, its amazing how some guy can make money by singing about nothing other than himself, and in derogatory fashion everyone that is not him. And sells millions of records doing it.
 
I don’t know that it is so new, but it is kind of funny though -to be singing songs to yourself! But I guess when I was young, I was more narcassistic so I sort of enjoyed songs that I could put myself in the role.

Since I don’t listen to pop music any more, I don’t know what they really sing about any more, but I imagine it is about being wronged or being misunderstood or falling in love or out of love. Somehow I don’t think popular music is all that different than it was when I was young (in the 70’s).

(I don’t consider rap music, it’s just a bunch of swear words set to a beat.)
 
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