“Happiness is a sad song.” - Charles M. Schulz
Headphones on, staring out of the window as heartbreaking music blasts through your ears, the world blurring into a scene from some dramatic melodrama - a familiar experience for many. In fact, it is fairly common, considering that artists like Billie Eilish – notorious for her “sad songs” – attract around 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify. By pressing that play button, we willingly engage in an art that can negatively affect the way we feel, portraying the complexity of our emotions. Is it not odd that we would rather wallow in misery than be joyful, singing along to Bruno Mars in the background? Why is it that we have this desire to deepen our existing feelings of upset, sorrow, and sadness through music? In this article, I will aim to explore the appeal of sad music based on the available research. Similarly, the issue of overexposure to sorrowful songs will be discussed.
Nostalgia In Sound
Emotions are rarely straightforward, but rather intensively complex. We can experience a myriad of sensations at the same time, creating a feeling foreign even to ourselves. Music, in its ability to expose and regulate our emotions, has a unique way of portraying what words cannot. It taps into our inner depths and amplifies our sensations, which might otherwise go unnoticed.
Melancholic songs are especially effective in awakening our emotions, for they feed off our feelings of despair and reveal our vulnerabilities. In fact, studies have shown that one of the main reasons why people love sad songs is due to its ability to invoke nostalgia. For many, there is often that one key song that conveys the feelings they want to feel, and therefore they resort to listening to it over and over again.
According to the research conducted in the article "Music-Evoked Nostalgia: Affect, Memory, and Personality" by Barrett et al. (2010), sad songs do not necessarily imply sadness. In their study, the authors explored the relationship between nostalgia and various context variables when listening to music. The number of negative emotions experienced whilst listening to a song had a significant positive relationship with feelings of nostalgia. This study suggests that negative emotions, including sadness, can invoke the experience of nostalgia. Yet, at its core, nostalgia is in itself a complex notion: it is not necessarily sad or happy - it is a blend of both. It can be either comforting or crushing, depending on the person and memories it evokes. Some people who listen to sad music do so because of specific instances, such as missing family, but others may listen because they simply want to be reminded of a moment in their past. Some, even, genuinely enjoy the song and associate no connotations of sadness with it.
Hormonal Impact on Emotional Regulation
“My heart, which is so full to overflowing, has often been solaced and refreshed by music when sick and weary.” - Martin Luther
Mood regulation is another reason why people are attracted to sorrowful pieces. Whenever you are feeling down or depressed, a sad song just hits the spot, and you might even find yourself feeling better when it ends. Huron (2011), in his article "Why is sad music pleasurable? A possible role for prolactin" approached this issue from a biological point of view.
Huron argues that sad music "tricks" our brain into thinking that we are experiencing severe grief, triggering a release of prolactin - a hormone that is linked to reducing stress and creating a consoling effect. Whether people are experiencing severe stress or sadness, listening to sad songs might activate the release of prolactin, mitigating those feelings and allowing for a better acceptance of their situation without being overwhelmed. However, it is also important to understand that every person has a different sensitivity to prolactin, which might suggest why not everyone has the same mood-enhancing response to sad music.
Communities In Shared Melancholy
Finally, sharing sad songs can foster bonds with your relatives, friends, and even strangers. Recently, I was fortunate enough to experience a "Cigarettes after Sex" concert, a band renowned for its gloomy lyrics and slow tunes. The sensation of listening to thousands of people singing in unison, their emotions laid bare, felt magical. The song managed to bind complete strangers into a fleeting moment of connection, creating a safe space for everyone to display their vulnerabilities by simply singing along with the artist. It is exactly this sense of belonging that makes sad music so powerful and universal. While happy songs can certainly bring people together through shared joy and celebration, sad songs offer unique bonding experiences by creating a sense of shared vulnerability, trust, and intimacy. In a society where it is often considered improper to show weakness, sharing a love for something melancholic can be an extremely powerful sentiment.
Risks Of Overindulgence
Nevertheless, it is essential to realize that constantly listening to sad music is not an act everyone wants to partake in. In the short term, when we are feeling sad, a song that makes us cry might help us process our emotions more easily, allowing us to face the factors causing pain with greater clarity. However, some studies have shown that might not be the case for everyone. For instance, there has been evidence to suggest that sad music might negatively affect people who are apt for depression.
In her study "Sad music and depression: does it help?" Sandra Garrido (2016) argued that people who tend to get stuck in negative thoughts (High Ruminators) are affected more strongly by sad music. Therefore, for people experiencing thoughts of depression, playing a sad song may cause more damage rather than giving them that sense of relief they are searching for. This being said, there is no universally agreed way of listening to music, and it is difficult to judge whether someone suffering from depression should avoid sad music entirely. However, considering the widespread access to platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, every person should be aware of their mental well-being before thoughtlessly putting on their headphones. A sad song at the wrong time could be the trigger for a mental breakdown.
Sad music can be a double-edged sword. While it can provide comfort, understanding and a sense of community, it is crucial to approach it with mindfulness. We can enhance our lives with a bit of melancholy by knowing when and how to listen to sorrowful pieces. Nevertheless, despite all the scientific debate about the effects of sad music, these theories only scratch the surface of the deeply individual way people experience it. Music is a profoundly personal journey, and no one can dictate how it is supposed to make you feel. It is definitely not “wrong” to listen to sad music all the time, if that is what makes you happy.
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