A study by the University of Pittsburgh discovered that teens who listen to sexually degrading music are more likely to involve themselves in sexual activity.

To initiate the study, 279 of the most popular songs in 2005 were analyzed and given a rating. The ratings ranged from non-degrading, where lyrics mentioned sex in a non-specific way, to degrading, where lyrics of the song are used to portray sexual activity as a “purely physical, graphic and dominant act” (AFP).

Of the total number of songs reviewed, researchers labeled 64 percent of rap songs, 7 percent of country songs, and 3 percent of pop songs as sexually degrading.

This information was used to determine the connection between the listening habits of teenagers and their sexual activity.

At three local high schools, over 700 teens, ages 15 and 16, were polled about their music preferences, habits and tendencies, in addition to their sexual behavior.

The survey found over 31 percent of the teens had participated in sexual intercourse. Of this number, 44.6 percent reported extensive exposure to highly degrading music, compared to 20 percent who were minimally exposed. This indicates that teenagers who listen to sexually explicit lyrics are twice as likely to have a record of sexual activity.

In explaining how the lyrics of certain songs affect teenagers, Dr. Brian A. Primack, the study’s lead author and pediatrician, said, “These lyrics frequently portray aggressive males subduing submissive females, which may lead adolescents to incorporate this ‘script’ for sexual experience into their world view” (ibid.).

Dr. Primack also explained that the results of the study could be taken in the opposite view; “that people who have more sex then go out and seek music with degrading sexual messages.”

Nonetheless, the study points to a connection between lyrics and teenagers, and their sexual behavior, which give them a mental image of how sex is portrayed, potentially triggering early sexual activity.

Steven Martino, a lead author and researcher for Rand Corp. in Pittsburgh, Pa., explained, “Boys learn they should be relentless in pursuit of women and girls learn to view themselves as sex objects” (Associated Press).

Teenagers also notice the effect. A 17-year-old girl from New Jersey said her friends usually pick music for the beat, but said the lyrics affect her: “I won’t really realize that the person is talking about having sex or raping a girl…it is beaten into the teens’ heads…we don’t even really realize how much” (ibid.).

Psychologist David Walsh concluded that “the results make sense, and echo research on the influence of videos and other visual media” (ibid.).