It is interesting how people often listen to sad music when they are already sad. Could sad music make people happier? A study was done on this topic through online survey. The results show that music-evoked sadness actually leads to the rewards of imagination, emotion regulation, empathy, and no “real-life” implications. Also, it was found that the appreciation of sad music is greater among individuals with high empathy. It is interesting to note that the most frequently evoked emotion by sad music is not sadness but nostalgia, followed by peacefulness and tenderness. The emotional responses to sad music are more complex than what can be described using a single adjective, and these responses are linked with a multidimensional experience of pleasure. Relative to happy music, sad music had higher ratings for “no real-life implications”, meaning that individuals can respond to the emotions of sad music even without extra-musical circumstances that would actually lead to such sadness, and this does not lead to actual sadness in listeners’ live after listening to sad music. The results also highlight that most people are more engaged with sad music when there is a potential to regulate negative moods and provide consolation. It is demonstrated that for many people, listening to sad music can actually leads to beneficial emotional effects. Finally, the potential implications include the use of music in improving people’s well-being or the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
Reference:
Taruffi L, Koelsch S. The Paradox of Music-Evoked Sadness: An Online Survey. PLOS One. 2014; 10: 1371.