What would life be like without music? Songs and
tunes1 fill our lives, affecting our emotions, bringing back memories and sometimes making us dance. There is a song for everyone and for every occasion, but it seems that it's sad music that moves us most.
Sad music certainly does its job in making us
depressed2, emotional, and causing us to
sob3 – it's something we might listen to after a break-up, for example. And a recent study has shown why some people are hooked on sad music. Professor David Huron from Ohio State University conducted the research and looked at the difference between people who love to listen to sad music and those who can't stand it.
He told the BBC radio programme The Why Factor that it comes down to a natural
hormone4 called prolactin. He says: "as you might have guessed from the name, it's associated with ‘lactation' from breast-feeding. When people cry, they also release prolactin. And, there are circumstances in which prolactin seems to have this comforting effect." It seems that people who like sad music are maybe getting too much prolactin, or more than is normal, and when they hear sad, downbeat music, it gives them a good feeling. But if prolactin isn't released, or there isn't enough of it, some people find that sad sounds don't help to cheer them up.
Previous research by Durham University has also suggested that listening to sad music can trigger pain and sadness; but it can also provide comfort and even
enjoyment5. A high number of people they surveyed were cheered up by listening to supposedly sad songs. Though the feeling may not be exactly the same as happiness, it may be the ability to cope with the sadness that gives the feeling of comfort.
So, reacting to sad music on the radio may have nothing to do with the
melancholic6 sound of a string quartet or a singer who's got the
blues7, but rather a natural chemical reaction taking place in our bodies. Maybe that explanation is music to your ears if you're wondering why you've be listening to Adele on repeat!
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