Listening to Sad Music Actually Make Someone Happier, Is It True?
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Jakarta – Everyone must have experiences a sad moment in life that makes them cry or worse, have trouble sleeping. This moment is usually filled with listening to sad songs that represent the feelings that make the tears flow endlessly.
But according to a study, listening to sad music when you're feeling down does not make you feel worse but actually improves your mood.
The study, carried out by scientists Liila Taruffi and Stefan Koelsch from the Free University of Berlin, asked participants to name the emotions they have experienced when listening to sad music from a given list of feelings, which includes ‘nostalgia’, ‘sadness’, ‘wonder’ and ‘power’.
Ilustrasi mendengarkan musik.
- Freepik/freepik
They were instructed to complete the survey individually and, interestingly, in a quiet environment without listening to any music, as quoted on Classical music site.
The most common feeling described was nostalgia, followed by peacefulness and tenderness. These feelings belong to the emotional category sublime rather than uneas, which is the group that 'sadness' is placed in.
Meanwhile, according to Dr Imran Noorani as a consultant psychologist at Child Development Center Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, to understand if sad songs can actually make us happy.
"Yes, sad songs can instill a sense of happiness or relief in a person. This phenomenon is known as the paradox of the sad song," he remarked, as quoted Healthshots site.
Dr Noorani stated that there are many ways in which sad songs can make someone feel better.
First, catharsis, where listening to sad music can be a form of emotional release. It allows the listener to process and express their own sadness in a controlled environment.
This can lead to a sense of relief and even a feeling of lightness afterwards.
Ilustrasi galau.
- http://www.i2harmony.info
Sad music often contain lyrics and melodies that resonate with the experiences and emotions of the listener. This sense of understanding and connection can lead to feelings of comfort and, in turn, a shift towards a more positive emotional state.
