“It feels good to listen to sad music,” if you have not said this statement out loud you may have definitely thought of it or heard someone else say it. The psychology of music is paradoxical, a negative emotion such as sadness can elicit positive feelings. Music has been used effectively as a therapeutic tool for years to come. Even the Ancient Greek physician Asclepiades of Bythnia used music therapy to pull patients out of melancholic states. We are well aware of the healing attributes of music. In an extensive review on the research of the physical environment and counselling, music enhances the healing process and affects muscle tone, blood pressure, heart rate and the experience of pain (Pressly & Heesacker, 2001). Researchers have studied music and its effects on our mind and body from a biological and psychological perspective.
What does one mean by sad music? How does it get translated into a positive feeling for the listener? These are the aspects we will be exploring in the following paragraphs.
Low sound levels, slow pace and minor chords are characteristics of sad music (Gabrielsson and Lindström, 2001, Juslin and Laukka, 2004, Khalfa, Roy, Rainville, Dalla Bella, & Peretz, 2008). Although people generally avoid negative emotional experiences they often enjoy sadness portrayed in music and other arts (Vuoskoski et al. 2012). This 2012 study discovered that sad music did not only evoke negative emotions but also a range of more positive, aesthetic emotions, like nostalgia, peacefulness, and wonder. On a biological level, when we listen to sad music our brain is tricked into a normal, compensatory response to release Prolactin, a hormone associated with crying and aiding to curb grief (Huron, 2011). In this state feelings of calmness are produced to counter the mental pain of a negative event or emotion. His study suggested that high prolactin concentrations were correlated with ‘pleasurable sadness’ evoked by sad music while low prolactin concentrations were correlated with unpleasant sadness. In 2019, researchers at the University of South Florida conducted a study to understand whether people diagnosed with depression prefered listening to sad or happy music and which type of music made them feel better. The sample included 76 female undergraduates (half of them were diagnosed with depression). The study’s co-author Jonathan Rottenberg said, “They actually were feeling better after listening to this sad music than they were before.” These examples describe the calming and relaxing state that sad music helps us tap into, which in turn separates us from the negative emotions we are feeling in that moment.
Let us understand the concept of ‘pleasurable sadness’ from a more personal point of view. When we listen to sad music a dominant feeling of nostalgia is felt by us. We begin to reminisce, find comfort in our memories, feel a sense of social connectedness that mitigates feelings of meaningless and reduces anxiety.
Just as we live vicariously through characters in books, we do the same through the lyrics represented by a sad song. We channel our own negative emotions, which not only includes sadness but also anger or jealousy. This refers to the cathartic element of any form of art that relates directly to our emotions and thoughts.
Sad music acts as an imaginary friend for us. A pillar of support is built by the lyrics and the instruments of the sad song. A mirroring effect occurs when one is feeling distressed or lonely while listening, one identifies with the emotions of the song and this presense provides a sense of comfort and empathy.
One sad song can create a ripple effect throughout the community of its listeners. A sense of communal sharing boosts our feelings of being moved and triggers feelings of comfort and belonging (Neuropsych, 2021).
Any type of music has the power to trigger feelings. Sad music surprisingly triggers an array of positive emotions, this phenomenon has been proven by numerous studies over the years. There is a direct connection between our feelings, thoughts, behaviours and the music we listen to, each influences the other. Our negative emotions are replaced temporarily when we begin to comprehend sad music. We are emotionally moved by the feeling of belongingness and feel warmth in those moments.
“When you’re happy, you enjoy the music, but when you’re sad, you understand the lyrics.”
– Frank Ocean
– Urveez Kakalia & Ferangiz Hozdar.