When you ask someone what they do when they feel sad, you will get different answers from different people to this question. The majority will have one thing in common, listening to sad songs. You will not believe it, but research shows that people like listening to sad songs and sulk when they feel sad.
You will start with listening to one song, which will continue and will go on until you hear a bunch of tear-jerking songs. You may think, it does not make any sense to listen to sad songs when you are already feeling down. However, after listening to these songs, you will start feeling better.
Many studies have revealed that, compared to other genres of music, people like to hear sad songswhen they are feeling down. To prove this theory correct, numerous people browse through Popculture Madness in search of a good playlist or recommendation of sad songs. Popculture Madness is a platform where you can find a great playlist of songs for every mood.
Sadness is a cardinal emotion people express and receive equally across cultures. Basic emotions like happiness, anger and sorrow are natural and versatile. A person does not need any musical training and can quickly understand the basic emotions in music. For instance, a listener can get into an actual state of sadness while listening to a sad cello piece.
In general, people see sadness as a negative emotion, but they manage to see it in a beautiful context in the name of enjoying sad music. Are you curious to know the nature of pleasure or the emotion people experience or feel from listening to these songs?
Studies say the pleasure in response to this genre of music is a combination of a few factors.
These factors include –
- Nostalgia or triggering memories
- Vicarious emotions
- Relatability
- Connection with music
- High aesthetic value
- Empathy
- Hormonal release
- Mood regulation
Read on and find out how these factors make listening to sad music pleasurable when you are feeling down.
Nostalgia or triggering memories
Sad songs are a powerful stimulus to memories of the past. You feel better after revisiting or reflecting on the nostalgic memories. It is especially the case when those memories are meaningful and are about a significant moment.
People tend to enjoy the sweetness of these memories using picturesque imagination. While listening to sad music, some people feel sadness from missing those times. Some feel like it is a recollection of good times.
Vicarious emotions
Music wakes up vicarious emotions in people without implicating their real life. Music helps people channel their frustration and get rid of negative emotions like sadness and anger. It is like a mental purification process. When people listen to sad songs, they get to detach from the real danger or threat that the song represents.
When you cry at the beauty of the song, you experience an intense character of your emotional selves. When you are feeling down, sad songs stay by your side. These songs silently provide you the emotional support you need at that time, like a good friend. In that sense, sad music acts as an imaginary friend to you.
