Culture
Why You Should Forget Everything You Know About Sad Songs
A recent study by Durham University in the United Kingdom and the University of Jyväskylä in Finland has revealed that sad songs don’t necessarily make you sad. There are positive effects: Sad music can be enjoyable and in some cases even pleasurable. The study was conducted by looking at the emotional responses of 2,436 people in three surveys.
Professor Tuaomas Eerola, who was leading the research says: “Previous research in music psychology and film studies has emphasised the puzzling pleasure that people experience when engaging with tragic art. However, there are people who absolutely hate sad-sounding music and avoid listening to it. In our research, we wanted to investigate this wide spectrum of experiences that people have with sad music, and find reasons for both listening to and avoiding that kind of music.” Think about that the next time you put on a sad record.
Can a supercomputer create it’s own sad or emotional songs? Find out here.
