I'M NOT SAD, I JUST LOVE SAD SONGS
WH editorial assistant SABRINA TALBERT’s mates associate her with her love of melancholy music. But, it turns out, sad songs have a happy side effect…
When I first met my neighbour, we got to talking about our music tastes – aconversation that landed me with the label ‘Sad Girl’. He couldn’t understand how, even when I was in great spirits, I enjoyed listening to softer tracks. Granted, he was a lover of all things pop. But while I’m not immune to a poppy earworm (I’m only human), the idea of bumping, high-energy music every time I had a good day seemed exhausting.
Sad songs bring me a sense of calm, which I’ll gladly take over energising upbeat music. And as it turns out, it’s not uncommon to experience feelings other than sadness while listening to sad songs. After participants in one study – by the University of California – listened to sad music, feelings of sadness were ranked the highest. But other feelings, such as nostalgia, peacefulness and wonder, were present, too. Certain personality traits, such as empathy and openness to experiences, were also linked to liking gloomy music.
‘When you listen to sad music, your brain is tricked into thinking you’re about to deal with trauma,’ says music therapist and clinical psychologist Bethany Cook. This causes the release of a hormon
