Why Do People Like Sad Music

Research from the Tokyo University of the Arts and the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, shows that listening to sad music might make people feel happier.



Sad music is just as popular as happy music - but why?
Research from the Tokyo University of the Arts and the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, shows that listening to sad music might make people feel happier.

The researchers played two sad songs and one happier sounding song, and had the subjects rate how the songs emotionally affected them.

The songs were also played with switched keys, having the major key pieces played in a minor key and vice versa.

Professor Ai Kawakami, who worked on the study wrote: "Music that is perceived as sad actually induces romantic emotion as well as sad emotion. And people, regardless of their musical training, experience this ambivalent emotion to listen to the sad music."

When people listen to music they are also aware that it is not reality, but an artistic interpretation of emotion rather than a true life event, like being emotionally affected by a tragic play or film.