The Science Behind Mosh Pits

Рет қаралды 23,917

6 жыл бұрын

Mosh pits may look chaotic, but how people act in them are anything but.
Mosh pits appear animal, violent, and unruly. But beneath all the swinging arms and smashing bodies is one of the most welcoming and gregarious atmospheres I’ve ever witnessed. And I would know-- I’ve been an avid mosher since my early teens. But what’s driving this near paradoxical juxtaposition of kindness and violence? Why do people move as they do? We’re answering all that and a little bit more as we delve into the science of the mosh pit.
For those thinking that I made a video just to justify moshing and going to Welcome to Rockville for 3 days: You know-- fair.
Less-than-three
Peter
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Leave your questions and comments down below and, if you enjoyed the video, take a moment to like or subscribe.
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Follow Professor Politics on:
The Blog: www.awildpoliticalnerd.com/
Twitter: @wildpolinerd
Instagram: / politicalnerd
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www.p05comics.tumblr.com
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Sources:
Jesse Silverberg and the Science of the Mosh Pit
www.theatlantic.com/health/ar...
MASHers simulator
mattbierbaum.github.io/moshpit...
Multiple masculinities and listening to heavy metal
link.springer.com/chapter/10....
Embracing the Chaos of the pit
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/1...
Metal Music and Arousal and Anger
academic.oup.com/jmt/article/34/1/33/876572
Metal Music Helping with Anger Processing
www.fronteirsin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00272/full
Metal Music and Violent Affect
www.researchgate.net/publicat...
Metal Music and Peaceful Feelings
www.researchgate.net/publicat...
Metal Music and Physical activity
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9...
Music facilitating group identities
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/1...
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Video Sources:
Backstreet boys’ music video “everybody”
• Backstreet Boys - Ever...
Concussion:
www.triadhpc.com/core/
Thanks again to Stephanie Underhill for helping me get footage of 2018’s Welcome to Rockville.
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Image Sources:
All other images not created custom for this video should either be creative commons license 0 or fall under fair use for educational purposes. If you are the creator of an image used in this video and you believe that your image was used inappropriately or that its uses fall outside of fair use, please contact me to let me know. I am more than willing to work out any issues or disagreements.
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Audio Sources:
Electro Sketch by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
All other audio comes courtesy of the KZfaq Audio Library

Пікірлер: 119

@InJasonsGarage 2 жыл бұрын

Of all the experiences I have had in my life so far, I have never experienced the same kind of respect, camaraderie, and enjoyment that I have in mosh pits.

@katherinej51679 Жыл бұрын

I’m a 43 yr old lunchlady and saw FFAK last night and got in the pit for the first time in over 20 years. It was amazing, even though I did get knocked down…I had some shirtless muscled up 20 year old help me up as quickly as I fell down while saying “it’s ok ma’am I got you!”🤘It was fun and even came out smiling.

@ingobernoble2678 Жыл бұрын

Just introduced my 18 year old niece to her first mosh pit last night. Don't know how long I can keep these up as I get older but man is there nothing in my life like the rush I still get from them

@elizabethfinegan8018 2 жыл бұрын

I was in a mosh pit for the first time a week ago. It was so amazing!🤟🏼 But I couldn’t let go of the fear of falling down😅

@amsol77 Жыл бұрын

You will be helped up. It's family.

@deadhumanisalive Жыл бұрын

Just let go of that fear and enjoy yourself. If you fall you will not be on the floor for long

@moorbish 10 ай бұрын

Everyone falls if you mosh enough. Just pick each other up and keep going!

@DrawingZerberus 5 жыл бұрын

I want to lose my sense of self for just this little time there is when the song gifts the beautiful break down it was building up to, these short moments in the moshpit are where I can feel the music better than with any dancing I ever did. Im like in trance and always get out so happy, actually better than most drugs can even dream of being

@ProfessorPolitics 5 жыл бұрын

This is such a beautiful sentiment. Captures a lot of the appeal to me as well.

@severewarfare3895 2 жыл бұрын

Got into my first moshpit yesterday night and it was the most amazing experience ever

@DrawingZerberus 2 жыл бұрын

@@severewarfare3895 it's absolutely magical

@kotanecrosis96 5 жыл бұрын

You redeemed yourself with Killswitch Engage and a very accurate analyzation of the pit.

@cedarian4643 6 жыл бұрын

I like that you bring up pit respect so many people really think that it's not there i agree that it's not about hurting people it's about being a community and doing it with each other ( I like the science even if I don't get it to much haha) I've gotten to experience respect first hand tho I slipped on beer on St my friends bands show and smacked my head and everyone went to help me up and make sure I was okay ( lucky I didn't get a concussion like you)

@ProfessorPolitics 6 жыл бұрын

I always wonder why people gloss it over. It's like the defining characteristic of the pit. When I went down (with my concussion) some random person I never met rushed me out carrying me bridal style and would not leave my side until someone with medical expertise confirmed I was going to be ok (so long as I sat still and didn't go into another pit lol). Glad your spill didn't give your brain too bad of a bump!

@SteffersLovesYou 6 жыл бұрын

Professor Politics thank goodness you listened to the medical staff or else i would be worried letting you go to more rock concerts. #BuddySystem #EveryoneNeedsAMoshBuddy

@cedarian4643 6 жыл бұрын

Exactly people make us out to be like jerks who just wanna fight and be mean but the only fight at a show I've seen in the past 4 years was at a festival and it was because a guys glasses got broke and the dude who broke them accidentally ended up apologizeing and giving the dude the money to replace them when he realized it happened haha. And yes always bring a buddy if it wasn't for me being there when my friend dislocated his knee in a pit at warped last year it could've been pretty bad

@esavage8855 8 ай бұрын

@@ProfessorPolitics very true! I was at a show a couple months ago and this girl got knocked out in a wall of death and three guys stopped in the insane mosh pit that took place afterwards and dragged her out of there. But then the funny part was she regained consciousness and hoped right back in the pit 😂

@AngryFishing 4 жыл бұрын

I was at Warped Tour in Orlando and in the Chealsea Grin pit, I'm not a small guy by any means at 6ft 220lbs. As I'm in the pit I lock eyes with this short chick and she charged me like captain America and literally jumped in the air to shoulder bash m. I braced for impact but she bounced off and I was left confused and laughing. Love how people can just be free in that type of environment

@kylewhite7473 2 жыл бұрын

So interesting! I have another interesting point. I specifically start mosh pits to gain position. I'm using that mechanism as a way of getting closer to the front with my crew. Every time I think something really hard is about to play, I start spreading everyone apart. Once I'm done Moshing there's a huge hole in the crowd so I can move all the way to the front of it and then start it again at the next heavy part of the show.

@Milli2X Жыл бұрын

The pit master✊

@esavage8855 8 ай бұрын

I might be small but Im always the one who either starts the mosh pit at the beginning of a show or helps spread the people more for a wall of death. Just this weekend I went and saw avatar and in this moment and I was standing right where the pit was for avatar and nobody was moshing so I started pushing people and a huge pit broke out

@davidc9793 11 ай бұрын

I could say the majority of sports have a little of "expression through violence" in them. Also, i think Nietzsche talks about this kind of cultural activities in the book "The Birth of Tragedy Out of the Spirit of Music", as the dionysian part of a work of art.

@godthatisfox 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for explaining and opening my mind to something I'd only ever heard of previously in discriminatory terms, getting new perspective is always appreciated.

@Rosa25262003 2 жыл бұрын

Looks like a great stress reliever

@doms_ego 2 жыл бұрын

it is lol

@josephfrechette9916 Жыл бұрын

From my experience being on the floor during a Manson concert the whole thing was fascinating. For example how I was moving to diffrent areas of the floor based on my desired level of interaction without consciously thinking about it.

@RenegadeAmiga Жыл бұрын

Had this huge feeling of being in a massive family at Download this year, four days of mosh pits kicking up dust it was absolutely primal. Dirt, sweat, Violence, noise and expression but everyone has that trust that if you hit the ground you're lifted in seconds. Been doing it for 15 years, it actually snapped me out of some pretty bad ongoing depression this year.💪🤘

@callousconflict 5 жыл бұрын

A person who gets angry and wants to fight in a moshpit messes up the whole moshpit.. gtfo the dang moshpit!!

@tylersheehan-ford4047 2 жыл бұрын

Bro I've just been to a rap concert in UK and hip hop is fully embracing this as an art and a mutual way of blowing off steam. Being in the pit is pure bliss in a crazy way

@enexified Жыл бұрын

This was so so interesting to watch and to see how you breakdown your thoughts. Thank you!

@nearfarplays3610 5 жыл бұрын

Very interesting. The next step should be mosh pits in the more extreme genres of metal.

@eurlan4942 Жыл бұрын

Most bands obviously encourage pits, when a band member say things like "open up" or "let me see some fucking movement" people will likely do the things they tell them because they like the band.

@esavage8855 8 ай бұрын

To me it feels like you are part of the show when you are in the pit. Plus another thing is in general the rougher the pit is the more the people like the music. You’re literally putting your body on the line to show the artist how much you like their music

@squashmallow2006 Жыл бұрын

Whether it's on your own, or with a sense of community, moshpits serve one primary function. A steam valve. It's the same reason why people train in martial arts, or go to the gym or do aggressive sprinting after a long day of work. It's just to let it all out in a controlled manner. And that feeling to want to release tension is a very commonly relatable subject. That in turn also provides a sense of trust, because you know that someone else in that pit could very well relate to it. Simple. And letting out that steam is, as you said, fun.

@trevorstockton2516 4 жыл бұрын

Another reason people mosh(it’s what got me into it) is that it’s just fun. Just like some people find football to be fun

@amsol77 Жыл бұрын

I look at it as an expression of Thanks and love to a band. We are a family, like no other.

@esavage8855 8 ай бұрын

I absolutely love moshing! It’s a very good release of negative energy for me. For about 2 weeks after each show I go to I’m always in a very good mood. You are right though the sense of community and togetherness is super strong. Plus you feel a lot more connected with the music and the band. It feels like you are part of the show as opposed to just being a spectator. The vast majority of people are in there to have fun but of course you always get the one asshole that is out to hurt people. I went and saw parkway drive a couple months ago and the first band that played that night was make them suffer and there was this one guy who kept crowd killing. He kept charging and knocking down people in the pit and he kept punching and elbowing the people on the edge of the pit in the torso. He ran up and elbowed me really hard in the gut. So after a little bit of this a much larger guy waited until he turned his back and charged him and elbowed him right in the ribs and knocked him flat on his face and told him to stop. After that the guy quit crowd killing for the rest of the night. So long story short if you are out to hurt people someone is going to hurt you back. Plus every show I’ve ever been to when someone falls there are at least two people that stop and pick them up. The only negative thing about moshing is if you do it enough you will get hurt. Just this weekend I went and saw avatar and this guy got pushed and was starting to fall over so he swung his arms out to try to catch himself and hit me in the face and I got a cut and a hematoma above my eye from my glasses. The other time I got hurt I was in a populated pit and this guy just started swinging with no regards for other people and he hit me in the nose and I got a deviated septum and a concussion. But that was also a hardcore show so it’s not really surprising. I still love it though! Here’s a video of a wall of death I was in at the avatar show this weekend: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Z7dibLqfvLrLgY0.htmlsi=ioid4K6DcHFukAop

@crassvegan6511 2 жыл бұрын

Lyrics to metal are often very emotionally charged and a lot would say life changing, speaking to our pains and struggles and darkest momest. So flailing and head banging and acting out what the music makes you feel has a lot to do with it. The type of people that listen to metal can be described as pent up. So it's where the aggression is released but in a way that is almost.... moral... rather then starting fights or becoming a bully or being mean to people at work, we can take out so many of our emotions in a space where others are there to do the exact same thing. Its mutual. I always spent quite a bit of time considering risk assessment. Some people might have the temperament to mosh, but see it as too high risk for injury or even just being struck somewhere they wouldn't want to be such as the face. And then there are the die hards and the masochists that are low key hoping to get hit in the face, for whatever reason. The rush and the feeling of self mutilation, there's a spectrum to why an individual is participating in the pit, but there are more similarities to everyone involved then differences. We can get hit and not take it personally. We signed up for the risk when we entered the pit. What amazes me is the different kinds of pits for different kinds of music. The differences in heavy metal are kinda subtle if you ask me. Hard core vs black metal etc. And with it comes different ways of moshing but also different levels of aggression. Some are fun and light hearted and everyone is smiling and going easy. Some people wear an angry grimace on their face thru the whole thing and putting their absolute all into their strikes. And there is usually a peaking order in the more angry pits. A sorting out of dominance. Id also argue that the pit is ritualistic. It has a natural progression to it that feels ancient. Each person's heart rate is raised. We flow to the tempo of the music. Long story short its an absolutely amazing phenomenon that I will participate as elderly as I possibly can

@supermasterfighter 4 жыл бұрын

There are no swinging arms in the pit, because there is no karate in the pit!

@Opinionatedbastard 4 жыл бұрын

Aka hardcore dancers

@trevorstockton2516 4 жыл бұрын

You’ve obviously never been to a hardcore show or tried to get into hardcore.

@Opinionatedbastard 4 жыл бұрын

Trevor Stockton if your talking to me I have been punched in the face at a hardcore show

@esavage8855 3 жыл бұрын

@@Opinionatedbastard yup. I saw Carnifex this weekend the first song a guy is swinging and whacks me right in the nose and I got a deviated septum

@Opinionatedbastard 3 жыл бұрын

@@esavage8855 back in the day we used to jump back in the pit and target that person we had a name for it but I can’t remember it so let’s just call it pit justice but nowadays it’s the norm for assholes to swing their fist everywhere in a pit when I was younger MoshPit had rules like if you find a wallet you put it in the air and if someone wants out you let them out also big dudes go to the middle and pick people up when they fall etc. etc.

@MissyDonovan Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your perspective! I loved a good mosh pit when I was a pissed off young woman in the early 1990s. People mostly respected one another and did help each other out. A black eye and a busted little toe were my worst injuries. I am 50 now and this video makes me want to crank some Jane's Addiction and bounce off the walls a little!

@iDYPilms Жыл бұрын

This bit is an APPIAN WAY! Thank you ❤️🙏👏👏👏

@EmperrPalpameme 2 ай бұрын

Welcome To Rockville !!! DUUUVALLLL

@marcshea919 2 жыл бұрын

Cool video but early 90s hardcore pits in New York and Boston was very brutal

@mikethemechanic7395 Жыл бұрын

Got 3 stitches from a Biohazard concert in NY

@colinpierce1788 6 жыл бұрын

1:36 Was that Pinkly Smooth playing in the background?

@SteffersLovesYou 6 жыл бұрын

Colin pierce Halestorm dont know what song though.

@colinpierce1788 6 жыл бұрын

Ok yeah, I heard the Lzzy Hale scream

@excaliberdg1178 Жыл бұрын

Municipal Waste pits are insane, some of the most fun ive had and its even more fun when the trash bin is thrown in

@Hunter-si5bg 8 ай бұрын

Wait until you hear about hardcore

@charlessmith263 2 ай бұрын

Then there is the physics. You could be slammed with about up to 1,000 pounds per square inch of crushing force. Enough to break bones, when you are in some mosh pits.

@Jeleiya Ай бұрын

Have you considered that one motivation could be a desire for emotionally safe and noncommittal closeness and physical contact?

@robertchitty3603 6 жыл бұрын

Rockville 2018? 🤔🤔🤔 Too bad I passed on it this year

@ProfessorPolitics 6 жыл бұрын

We're making it an annual tradition so there's always next year! Always happy to have a mosh buddy.

@robertchitty3603 6 жыл бұрын

Professor Politics I live in Jax, so I like to partake when I can 🎩 see ya next spring!

@ProfessorPolitics 6 жыл бұрын

Oh really? I'm a UNF alum, lived near Beach for a bit.

@robertchitty3603 6 жыл бұрын

Small world huh? I've debated going into the electrical engineering and physics courses at UNF. I'm about 3 miles from their campus so it would be a pretty convenient commute 😂

@schmittydtty6580 6 жыл бұрын

Also, who is your favorite metal band

@SteffersLovesYou 6 жыл бұрын

I just read him your comment...and he is now having an existential crisis becuase your question isnt specific enough... Ill let him explain.

@ProfessorPolitics 6 жыл бұрын

So this is tough for me. Disturbed is my favorite band in general, but I have so many "favorites" depending on the specific mood I'm in. If I'm in a groove mood, five finger death punch. If I'm in a "I feel like going nuts in a workout" I've been digging Upon a Burning Body lately. Although Asking Alexandria has been a constant in my playlists. And DED's first album, Mis-An-Thrope, was just incredible. Can I just answer "yes"?

@schmittydtty6580 6 жыл бұрын

Sounds awesome, I would probably say my favorite heavy metal band is metlica, but I am more of a grunge, alternative, and rock person

@schmittydtty6580 6 жыл бұрын

Also, sorry for giving you an existential crisis, keep up the good work

@esavage8855 5 жыл бұрын

Professor Politics disturbed is one of my favorites too. I saw them live last again night and it was pretty incredible.

@718Gilbert 11 ай бұрын

My answer to why I like moshing is, it's the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

@SiRenfield Жыл бұрын

Fun fact: In the Wikitonary definition of “pit” as in slang for mosh pit example sentence is “Because the museum was closed for renovation, the school decided to bring its fourth-graders to the pit at a Cannibal Corpse gig instead.” And this video only seeks to prove that! Seriously though #17 under English if you don’t believe me

@Anime10100 Жыл бұрын

if you never got hit in your life, should just walk thru one of these for a few mins. you might get hit hard but a few back swing but the other person might have mud in the eyes.

@Empr4evr 2 жыл бұрын

No. No fists. Fist to fist altercations are strictly forbidden in a moshpit.

@d0sitmatr Жыл бұрын

Im sorry, but I have to interject here... what reality are you living in ? no fists in pits ? seriously ? Ive never seen, heard of been in a pit that didnt have fists flying about... sure, the goal *is* *NOT* to punch someone (although it happens often enough) but the fact remains that it happens quite often.

@moshpitsandbongrips6998 Жыл бұрын

What? We don’t do push pits where I’m from

@jpm5036 5 жыл бұрын

I really wish I could view this video, its freezing on me 6 seconds in and idk why 😖

@rubescent_candy7335 4 жыл бұрын

jeff m, bad internet lol

@richmackin 2 жыл бұрын

I have no sympathy for anyone's misfortune at a Five Finger Death Punch show.

@Spaghetti742 Жыл бұрын

Yeah lol, the medical bills are part of the experience

@jacejames3853 6 жыл бұрын

First 😁

@boondogglet132 Жыл бұрын

2:51 that chicks not wearing a shirt

@christopherhenderson6708 2 жыл бұрын

Bro what

@jacejames3853 6 жыл бұрын

most people don’t think of me as a person who like metal music go 5 finger death punch

@ProfessorPolitics 6 жыл бұрын

Jace The deck builder, I've got your six.

@jacejames3853 6 жыл бұрын

Professor Politics don’t get on the wrong side of heaven 😁

@SteffersLovesYou 6 жыл бұрын

No, he is more on the righteous side of hell.

@ProfessorPolitics 6 жыл бұрын

Y'all, we're just a bad company in this thread.

@jacejames3853 6 жыл бұрын

Professor Politics we all got our “Jekyll and Hyde” but it’s important to “question everything”

@setasan Жыл бұрын

Punk and hardcore moshs are the original and perfect places to enjoy music. Metal ones are cool but are usually full of stupid saps.

@adamplaza3935 11 ай бұрын

It’s somehow a thing at least in Germany that the Hiphop people are adapting the word Moshpit, and then getting whiny when people start to mosh 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ They got confused by a Elektrosong Called disco pogo. They found Pogo it to be fun and wanted the Moshpits too … now we have a shit load of Hiphop fans saying stuff like „moshpits aren’t places for being violent and for bad guys who want to show how hard they are“ it’s ridiculous 🤣🤣 they should stick with pogo then 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️