Why Do We Like Sad Music? | Sandra Garrido | TEDxYouth@Sydney

Summary

This script explores why people enjoy sad music despite seeking happiness in life. The presenter discusses various psychological reasons, including the ability to immerse in emotional journeys, reflect on life, and experience catharsis. However, for those prone to depression, sad music can exacerbate negative emotions and rumination. The talk concludes with advice on using music effectively for mood improvement and the importance of professional help for those struggling.

Takeaways

• 📚 People are deeply interested in happiness, with 2.5 million books on the subject, yet we paradoxically enjoy sad music.
• 🎵 The song 'Someone Like You' by Adele is an example of a sad song that became immensely popular worldwide.
• 🤔 There is no single reason why people enjoy sad music; it varies from person to person.
• 🧘‍♂️ Some individuals have a high capacity for absorption, allowing them to enjoy the emotional journey of sad music without negative impacts.
• 🌌 Reflective listeners use sad music as a tool for introspection, helping them process emotions and consider life changes.
• 💭 Sadness is an adaptive emotion that can motivate personal reflection and problem-solving.
• 😢 For some, sad music can provide catharsis, releasing pent-up emotions and offering a sense of shared experience and understanding.
• 🔄 However, for those prone to depression, sad music can exacerbate negative thought cycles and deepen feelings of sadness.
• 🧬 Depression is linked to an impaired ability to regulate moods and is associated with rumination, a cycle of negative thinking.
• 📉 In experiments, people with high rumination scores started with lower moods and became more depressed after listening to sad music.
• 😊 Surprisingly, after listening to sad music, participants' moods improved significantly when they listened to happy music afterwards.
• 🎶 Music can be used effectively for emotional regulation, but it's important to be mindful of the type of music one listens to when feeling down.

Q & A

What is the primary aim of the speaker's research?

The speaker's research aims to understand why people enjoy listening to sad music despite their general pursuit of happiness.

How many books on the subject of happiness were found by the speaker in their Google Books search?

The speaker found an astounding two and a half million books on the subject of happiness.

What is the song example provided to illustrate the popularity of sad music?

The song example provided is 'Someone Like You' by Adele, which quickly rose to the top of the charts and is known and loved worldwide.

What did the speaker and colleagues do to find out why people enjoy sad music?

They interviewed thousands of people, surveyed them to understand their reasons for enjoying sad music, and conducted experiments where they played sad music to people and measured its effects.

What did the research find regarding the reasons people enjoy sad music?

The research found that there is no single reason; people enjoy sad music for various reasons, including the emotional journey, reflection on their lives, and psychological benefits such as catharsis and feeling understood.

What is the capacity for absorption mentioned in the script?

The capacity for absorption refers to the ability to become so immersed in an activity that one loses track of time and place, allowing some people to enjoy the emotional journey of sad music without experiencing real-life sadness.

How does the speaker describe the adaptive emotion of sadness from an evolutionary perspective?

Sadness is described as an adaptive emotion that motivates us to reflect on our lives, consider changes that might be needed, and encourages us to make those changes.

What is rumination and how is it related to depression?

Rumination is a tendency to get stuck in cycles of negative thinking, which is largely involuntary and common in people with a tendency toward depression. It can exacerbate negative emotions and make it difficult to break out of bad feelings.

What did the experiments reveal about the mood levels of people with high rumination scores?

The experiments showed that people with high rumination scores started with lower mood levels and became more depressed after listening to sad music, indicating a perpetuation of negative thinking cycles.

What was the surprising finding when participants with depression listened to happy music after the sad music?

Surprisingly, their mood levels improved significantly after listening to happy music, making them feel much better than when they arrived for the experiment.

What advice does the speaker give for using music effectively to improve mood?

The speaker advises that music can help one feel emotions and reflect on strategies for coping or changes needed in life. However, if one finds it difficult to break out of negative emotions, it might be a good idea to seek professional help and be cautious about the type of music listened to.

Outlines

00:00

😔 The Paradox of Enjoying Sad Music

The speaker explores the intriguing phenomenon of why humans, who generally seek happiness, enjoy listening to sad music. Through interviews, surveys, and experiments, they discovered that people's reasons for enjoying sad music are varied. Some individuals have a high capacity for absorption, allowing them to immerse themselves in the emotional journey of the music without negative effects. Others use sad music as a reflective tool, leveraging the adaptive emotion of sadness to contemplate life changes. Additionally, sad music can provide catharsis and a sense of community, as listeners feel understood and less alone. However, for those with a tendency towards depression and rumination, sad music can exacerbate negative thought cycles and deepen feelings of sadness.

05:03

🎶 The Impact of Sad Music on Mood and Its Remedies

This paragraph delves into the experimental findings regarding the effects of sad music on individuals with high levels of rumination, who are more prone to depression. The experiment showed that sad music significantly lowered their mood, but surprisingly, following with happy music elevated their mood to a point higher than at the beginning of the experiment. The speaker suggests that while sad music can be a tool for emotional immersion and reflection, it may not always be the best choice for mood improvement. They advise caution in music selection, especially for those struggling with negative emotions, and recommend seeking professional help if needed. The summary concludes with a reminder that music can be a powerful medium for emotional expression and coping strategies, and that selecting uplifting or inspiring music can be beneficial.

Keywords

💡Happiness

Happiness is a state of well-being and contentment, often associated with joy and satisfaction. In the video, happiness is presented as a primary aim in life, with the speaker mentioning the vast number of books on the subject, indicating its universal pursuit. The script also contrasts the general avoidance of sadness in daily life with the enjoyment of sad music, challenging the conventional understanding of happiness.

💡Sad Music

Sad music refers to musical compositions that evoke feelings of sadness or melancholy. The video discusses the paradoxical enjoyment people find in listening to sad music, despite their general desire to maximize happiness. The example of Adele's 'Someone Like You' illustrates a song that became popular and loved worldwide, despite its melancholic theme.

💡Absorption

Absorption is the ability to become deeply engrossed in an activity to the point of losing awareness of time and surroundings. The script explains that some individuals with a strong capacity for absorption can enjoy the emotional journey of sad music without experiencing the negative effects that real-life sadness might bring.

💡Reflection

Reflection is the process of thinking deeply about one's life, emotions, and experiences. In the context of the video, reflective people are able to use sad music as a tool to process their emotions and consider necessary changes in their lives. This concept is linked to the evolutionary purpose of sadness as an adaptive emotion.

💡Catharsis

Catharsis is the emotional release or purging of pent-up emotions, often associated with a sense of relief or purification. The script mentions catharsis as one of the psychological benefits of listening to sad music, allowing individuals to release built-up emotions and feel a sense of emotional cleansing.

💡Rumination

Rumination is the act of repetitively thinking over the same negative thoughts, often leading to a cycle of negative emotions. The video explains that for people with a tendency towards depression, rumination can exacerbate negative feelings when listening to sad music, perpetuating cycles of negative thinking instead of providing relief.

💡Depression

Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities. The script discusses how depression involves an impaired ability to regulate moods and emotions, making individuals more susceptible to negative emotions triggered by sad music.

💡Mood Regulation

Mood regulation refers to the ability to manage and control one's emotional state. The video highlights the importance of mood regulation in the context of listening to sad music, where individuals with depression may struggle to recover from lowered mood levels, unlike those without such tendencies.

💡Evolutionary Perspective

The evolutionary perspective considers how behaviors and emotions have developed and functioned throughout human history. The script uses this perspective to explain sadness as an adaptive emotion that has evolved to motivate reflection and change, thus serving a purpose in human survival and adaptation.

💡Psychological Benefits

Psychological benefits refer to the positive effects on an individual's mental well-being. The video discusses various psychological benefits gained from listening to sad music, such as catharsis, a sense of connection with others, and the opportunity for self-reflection, which can contribute to emotional health.

💡Professional Help

Professional help refers to seeking assistance from experts, such as therapists or counselors, for emotional or psychological issues. The script suggests that if the process of reflecting on emotions through sad music becomes overwhelming or difficult to break from, seeking professional help may be a beneficial step.

Highlights

The speaker investigates why people enjoy listening to sad music despite generally avoiding sadness in daily life.

An astounding two and a half million books on happiness were found in a quick Google Books search.

Songs like Adele's 'Someone Like You' are widely loved despite their sad themes.

There is no single reason why people enjoy sad music; it varies from person to person.

Some people have a strong capacity for absorption, allowing them to fully immerse in the emotional journey of the music.

Sad music can be used by reflective individuals to process emotions and think about life changes.

Listening to sad music can provide psychological benefits such as catharsis and a sense of shared experience.

Sadness is an adaptive emotion that can motivate personal growth and change.

Mood disorders, like depression, impair the ability to regulate emotions, making negative emotions more easily triggered.

People with high levels of rumination are more prone to getting stuck in cycles of negative thinking.

Sad music can worsen depression for those with tendencies toward rumination.

Experiments showed that people with high rumination scores start out with lower mood levels and can become more depressed after listening to sad music.

Listening to happy music afterward can significantly improve mood, even among depressed participants.

The experience of music varies greatly; some find sad music helpful, while for others, it may exacerbate negative feelings.

The speaker suggests that individuals be mindful of their music choices, especially if they are prone to depression, and seek professional help if necessary.

Transcripts

Translator: A. Bentahar Reviewer: Julie Quynh Nguyen

If you are an human being, chances are,

one of your primary aims in life is to maximise your happiness.

I did a quick search of Google books before I came here,

I have found an astounding two and an half million books on the subject of happiness.

When we are so interested in happiness,

and we do everything that we can in daily life

to avoid things that make us feel sad,

why is it?

When it comes to music we actually seem to enjoy feeling sad.

I will give you an example.

(Music: piano introduction of "Someone Like You", Adele)

(Laughter)

So that of course is a song that flew to the top of the charts

within weeks of its release

and it is known and loved by millions of people

all around the world.

So why is it that songs like these are so popular?

Why is it that we seem to enjoy feeling sad

when we are listening to music?

Well, that was the question that I set out to find the answer to,

and along with my colleagues,

we've interviewed probably thousands of people

about why they are enjoying music like this.

We've also surveyed people

and try to find out in-depth reasons

about how people use music like this in their daily lives.

And we've also done experiments where we've actually played sad music to people

and then measure the effects on them.

And what we actually found is that there is no single reason,

there is no single answer to that question

of why people like sad music.

I'll give you some examples of the kind of thinks that we've found out.

Firstly, some people have a really strong capacity for absorption,

or the ability to get so immersed in what they're doing

that they completely lose track of time and the sense of where they are.

This kind of people seem to be able

to just really enjoy the emotional journey of the music,

and they don't experience any displeasure in the way that you would,

if it was sadness triggered by real life events.

Another group of people are able to use the time listening to sad music

to reflect on their own lives.

I mean if you think about it,

sadness is actually an adaptive emotion from an evolutionary perspective.

It motivates us to think about our lives

and think about things that might need changes

and motivates us to make those changes.

So people who have strong capacities to reflection, the very reflective people,

they seem to have the ability to actually use the time

when they are listening to sad music

to process emotions that they might be going through

and to think about how they can address the problems

that might be triggering sadness in them.

Some of the additional psychological benefits they might get are catharsis

or being able to just get rid of all those pent-up emotions

that are building up,

and sometimes people are able to get a really nice feeling from the music

that they are not alone in what they are experiencing,

a nice feeling that they are other people out there

who understand how they feel.

So these are the types of psychological benefits

that reflective people seem to be able to get from listening to sad music.

But I said that sadness is an adaptive emotion

and like all adaptive systems, things can go wrong.

Mood disorders like depression are an example of how systems break down.

By its really definition,

depression involves an impaired capacity to regulate one's own moods and emotions.

So for people with tendencies to depression,

often negative emotions are more easily triggered in them,

so it only takes a very small thing to make them feel bad,

in comparison to other people,

and then it is much more difficult for them

often to break out of those bad feelings,

that it might be for somebody else.

And this is all related to a tendency called rumination,

and rumination is that thing that happens sometimes where you get,

your mind gets stuck in these cycles of negative thinking.

It is largely involuntary,

and this is something that happens to people

who have a tendency to depression.

So what that often happens with these people is

they start out with the same rational intentions

as the reflective person.

They think: "if I listen to this piece of music,

it is going to help me get all those emotions of my chest or,

really think through my problems."

But instead of helping them to work through their emotions

and come out the other side,

it can actually just perpetuate those cycles of negative thinking.

This is what happens when we do experiments with people.

So, you can see the bottom line,

these are the people who have high scores in rumination,

and you can see that they start out the experiment

with much lower mood levels than other people.

So they are more depressed than other people

at the beginning of the experiment.

We then play them a piece of sad music,

and their depression levels really increase, their mood level drop,

and they are much more depressed.

For the people who are low ruminatists,

that happens also, they get a little bit sad.

But that is probably just a minor blip in their day

and they recover from it quite quickly.

But if you already at this clinical levels of major depression,

and then you mood goes even lower as a result of a piece of music,

that can really be quite a dangerous situation.

Of course, ethically, we can't do that to our participants,

and then leave them feeling like that.

So we always ask them to listen to a piece of a happy music,

at the end of the experiment.

And what we found to our surprise is that their mood levels go right up.

In fact, they are feeling much better after listening to a piece of music

than they were when they arrived to do the experiment.

So that tends to suggest that

even though we might really feel like pulling out a piece of sad music

when we are feeling a bit down,

for some people, it is not always the best option.

So, what does all this tell us about why we listen to sad music,

well basically there is no single answer we do it for a variety of reasons.

Some people just enjoy being very immersed in the music

and there is no negative consequences.

Other people are able to obtain some important psychological benefits

from listening to music,

that really are good for them.

For a minority of people,

it may actually make them feel more depressed.

So how can we use music effectively,

to improve your mood if we're feeling a bit down?

With a the good thing about music is,

it can help you to really feel your emotions,

to really sit with what is going on inside you,

and to think about, maybe some strategies you could develop

for coping better with what is going on,

or some changes that you may need to make in your life.

But ultimately if you find that process is going on for too long,

and that it is very difficult to break out of that process for you,

it might be a suggestion that it is a good idea

to obtain some professional help.

And if you are in that situation,

be a little bit careful about the kind of music that you listen to.

You don't have to break out the party music ;

a lot of our participants say:

"I couldn't possibly listen to Pharrell Williams

when I am feeling so down."

But you can listen to something that is a little bit inspiring,

something that connects you

to a time in your life when you felt good about yourself

or with some really happy memories,

or something with a message,

that will reinvigorate you to carry on.

Thank you.

(Applause)