IG Nobel Prize For Economics goes the The Vatican, for outsourcing prayers to India.
Still when it comes to the IG, Sociology beats Economics hands down – the prize this year going to Steven Sack of Wayne State University and James Gundlach of Auburn University for their 1992 article, "The Effect of Country Music on Suicide". The abstract claims that
“Sociological work on the relationship between art and society has been largely restricted to speculative, sociohistorical theories that are often mutually opposed”
And the full text doesn’t disappoint:-
“Content analyses of country songs note a number of sucidogenic themes that can foster suicide (e.g. Lewis 1989; Petersent 1991) One such theme is disharmony between the sexes especially marital strife and dissolution …….this theme might nurture pre existing suicidal thoughts ……..Country music may nurture suicide through its theme of alcohol abuse (Chalfant & Beckley 1977; Connors & Alpher 1989, Schaefer 1988). Lyrics often portray drinking as a normal and necessary method of dealing with life's problems (Chalfant & Beckley 1977). Field research on drinking behavior has linked exposure to country music to increased levels of consumption of alcohol (Schaefer 1988). Alcohol consumption, in turn, has often been associated with increased suicide risk (e.g. Wasserman 1989).
Additional themes in country music that might nurture a suicidal mood include financial strain and exploitation at work (Peterson 1991). Often a sense of fatalism or hopelessness is conveyed in these songs. Hopelessness is considered a key psychological state underlying suicide risk (Beck et al. 1985). A sense of bitterness and hopelessness pervades many country songs about farmers, for example. Singing of a man whose farm has been auctioned off, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band notes: "Worked this place all my life, broke my heart, took my wife. Now I got nothing to show" (Peterson 1991:8).”
But before you go an throw out those Dolly Parton CD’s you’ll be relieved that a follow-up paper by Gary W. Mauk "'An Achy Breaky Heart' May Not Kill You" “mutually opposed” the thesis :-
“Further, while Stack and Gundlach found a relationship between amount of country music airtime and suicide rates... they have not accounted adequately for directionality... Likewise, one cannot determine (1) whether whites who are divorced tend to listen to country music, (2) whether listening to country music tends to cause their noncountry music fan spouses to divorce them, or (3) whether country music makes romantic conflict and divorce seem more normal for those individuals who are contemplating suicide, thus increasing the likelihood that they will attempt suicide...”
Meanwhile over at Biology the Nobel Prize went to Ben Wilson, Lawrence Dill, Robert Batty, Magnus Whalberg and Hakan Westerberg for showing that herrings apparently communicate by farting. Mmm, maybe I'll write a paper on whether they listen to country music too?
via the virtual stoa