Why Sad Music Makes Us Feel Good: The Science Behind It

It’s not unusual for people to love cheerful, upbeat songs that make them want to dance or sing. But what’s intriguing is how sad music has the power to make us feel good despite its melancholic and sorrowful nature. Why do we listen to sad songs repeatedly, especially when we’re feeling down? What kind of influence do they have on us? Recent studies have found that sad music can evoke positive emotions such as peacefulness, harmony, and kindness, and it can also make us more empathetic towards others. This article will delve into the research behind our love of sad music and how it can be beneficial for our emotional wellbeing.

The Research Behind It

In 2014, Liila Taruffi and Stefan Koelsch from the Freie Universität Berlin conducted a survey of over 770 people worldwide to explore the reasoning behind our love of sad songs. They published their findings in the journal PLOS ONE, where they discovered that overall, sad music can evoke positive emotions such as peacefulness, harmony, and kindness. They also found that sad music can make us feel more empathetic towards others since we connect with the emotions of the artist. By mentally experiencing sadness, we connect with others’ emotions without facing any real-life implications, promoting compassion and empathy.

Explanation: The Personal Connection

At our core, we connect with things that touch us personally, whether it’s art, music, or a meaningful speech. In a way, it’s like being in a support group, where everyone shares similar or the same experiences. By connecting with each other around those experiences, we unintentionally repeat and replay them in our minds. Similarly, when we listen to sad music, we relate to what the artist is sharing, discovering that there are no boundaries between us, and the music is a reflection of our souls. Dr. Robert Zatorre, a neuroscientist at McGill University, says, “Sometimes we’re not happy, and that’s where music comes in. To the extent that you can use music to elicit those moods, and allow you to reflect on your own internal response to those emotions, that can actually be extremely helpful and uplifting.”

Therapeutic Emotion Regulation

Respondents to the survey have reported that sad music makes them feel better when they’re in a bad mood or feeling sad. Sad music offers additional assistance to their attitude and overall wellbeing. This is somewhat similar to the feeling we get after having a good cry, which is considered therapeutic. The overwhelming sensation to cry is our human response to emotions, and it can be therapeutic as well. Studies have found that 90 minutes after participants cried, they reported feeling much better than before they cried. Songs help to express our inner emotions and release emotions permanently or temporarily that are no longer necessary for our emotional health and wellbeing.

The Benefits of Sad Music

Many people have been led to believe that sadness and depression must be avoided at all costs. While it’s true, deep sadness leading to major depression or other disorders should be handled with professional care, moderate sadness or melancholy can evoke positive feelings, such as emotional regulation, compassion, nurture, and empathy. Listening to sad music encourages prosocial emotions while connecting us with humanity, helping us gain insights into our relationships, ourselves, and our purpose.

Final Thoughts

Sad songs do have a power that can evoke positive feelings and help us connect with ourselves and others in a deeper, more meaningful way. The science behind our love of sad music has proven that it can evoke positive emotions, promote compassion and empathy, and help us regulate our emotions healthily. It’s time to embrace sad music and explore its therapeutic benefits, letting it serve as a path to our self-discovery and emotional wellbeing. As Elton John said, “Sad songs really do say so much.”