You would think that listening to sad songs would leave us feeling terrible, but apparently, it has the opposite effect.
New research sheds light on how our brain reacts when we match our music to our feelings, and according to various studies, sad music can make us feel good because it triggers positive memories that can help to lift our mood.
For example, a Berlin-based research team found that contrary to popular opinion, positive feelings were correlated with listening to typically sad music. The research team asked 772 participants across the globe to describe how they felt when listening to sad songs and the most frequent emotion evoked was nostalgia.
That of course was just one study but if you do a quick Google search, you’ll find dozens of other studies that all produced similar results.
In short, listening to negative and sad music makes us feel better because we can use it as an emotional outlet. And so, if you don’t have a shoulder to cry on, sometimes all you need is the right song.