Many of you have had the experience of driving with the radio or walking into an establishment with music playing, and suddenly, a song comes on that immediately transports you back into a different time—with memories flooding back associated with something you were feeling when that song was popular. You may have songs you remember from childhood that affect you this way, and sometimes bring tears to your eyes. But why? For many people, music is linked to memories, from nostalgia to trauma. For others, beautiful music is emotionally moving in a positive sense, independent of context. Researchers have observed that music is an interesting field of psychological study because while highly pleasurable, it has no obvious importance for promoting survival.[i] So why are we so emotionally involved?
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When Sad Songs Feel Good
Determining whether or not it is healthy to listen to music that brings us to tears can depend on the basis of our emotion. Are we crying because we are feeling happy or sad? And the next question is whether we actually seek out songs that make us cry. Researchers have examined these questions, and uncovered some answers.
Katherine N. Cotter et al. (2018) studied the phenomenon of feeling like crying when listening to music.[ii] Within a sample of almost 900 adults, they found two primary experiences of remembering instances of crying while listening to music: a class who felt sad, depressed, and upset, and a class who felt “awe,” defined as feeling happy, euphoric, inspired, and amazed. Regarding the types of personality characteristics in each class, Cotter et al. note that individuals who were high in openness to experience were more likely to experience “awe,” while people high in neuroticism were more likely to be in the “sad” class. Interestingly, they found the sad class to be twice as large as the awe class.
Cotter et al. also looked at how different facets of the experience of feeling like crying were linked to class membership. They found that individuals who reported the experience of feeling like crying from music were more likely to belong to the “sad” class—which contained two-thirds of the sample. Individuals in the awe class wanted the crying experience to happen again, reaffirming that within this class, the experience of feeling like crying is positive, as corroborated by the emotional profile of individuals in this class, and their desire to repeat the experience.
If Music Makes You Sad, Does Misery Love Company?
Are you alone when you are moved to tears by sad music? Cotter et al. found that people in their awe category were more likely to be with others when they felt like crying from music which they suggest might be related to context, such as in a public performance. This likely means that people for whom music evokes emotional sadness, as opposed to awe, are more likely to be alone when a song moves them to tears. Perhaps the presence of others would lessen the impact of the negative emotion.
Clearly, music can be a blessing, especially when it brings up good memories. When music does not make you happy, consider why you are inclined to listen. In the best-case scenario, you enjoy music for its positive qualities and avoid songs that make you depressed. After all, at least if you are in your own home or car, you can change the channel. Enjoy responsibly.
References
[i] Gebauer, Line, Morten L. Kringelbach, and Peter Vuust. 2012. “Ever-Changing Cycles of Musical Pleasure: The Role of Dopamine and Anticipation.” Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, and Brain, Neurosciences and Music, 22 (2): 152–67. doi:10.1037/a0031126.supp (Supplemental).
[ii] Cotter, Katherine N, Paul J Silvia, and Kirill Fayn. “What Does Feeling Like Crying When Listening to Music Feel Like?” Psychology of aesthetics, creativity, and the arts 12, no. 2 (2018): 216–227.
FAQs
Determining whether or not it is healthy to listen to music that brings us to tears can depend on the basis of our emotion. Some people cry to music because they feel sad; others because they feel “awe.” People who experience awe were more likely to be with others when music made them feel like crying.
What does it mean when you listen to music and it makes you cry? ›
When the researchers sorted the data, they found that people who ranked high on the neuroticism scale experienced sadness when they had been moved to tears by music, and people who scored high in the openness to experience scale felt like crying because the music provoked a profound sense of awe.
Is Listening to sad music good for you? ›
It Stimulates the Release of Comforting Hormones
On a biological level, listening to melancholic music has been shown to boost levels of hormones such as prolactin. Among its numerous functions, prolactin is considered to modulate feelings of sadness by preparing the body to deal with traumatic events.
Is crying healthy for you? ›
Research has found that in addition to being self-soothing, shedding emotional tears releases oxytocin and endorphins. These chemicals make people feel good and may also ease both physical and emotional pain. In this way, crying can help reduce pain and promote a sense of well-being.
What is it called when music makes you cry? ›
The phenomenon, also called 'Florence Syndrome', is named after the French author Marie-Henri Beyle , who wrote under the pen-name of 'Stendhal'.
Is it OK to listen to sad songs and cry? ›
Mental health pros say sad music can be cathartic. It's a safe way to tap into tough emotions. Hearing lyrics that resonate can help us articulate emotions we may previously not have had words for.
Is music good or bad for mental health? ›
Music Can Be Distracting and Lower Your Stress
Research suggests that listening to music may lessen the impact of depression and anxiety.
What is the saddest song ever made? ›
- #1 “Everybody Hurts” by R.E.M. ...
- #2 “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion. ...
- #3 “I Will Remember You” by Sarah McLachlan. ...
- #4 “Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton. ...
- #5 “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley. ...
- #6 “Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime” by The Korgis. ...
- #7 “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel.
Research suggests that music can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety by providing a positive distraction from negative thoughts and emotions. Listening to music can also activate the brain's reward system, releasing dopamine and other feel-good chemicals that can improve mood and reduce stress.
Is it really OK to cry? ›
Crying may support both the body and mind by restoring emotional balance, dulling pain, and activating your parasympathetic nervous system to help you self-soothe, among other benefits. Crying is a common human action, and it can be triggered by many different emotions.
Crying also soothes us by facilitating the release of oxytocin (also called the cuddle hormone). This induces a sense of calm and well-being, helping us sleep peacefully.
Is it better to cry or hold it in? ›
Today's psychological thought largely concurs, emphasizing the role of crying as a mechanism that allows us to release stress and emotional pain. Crying is an important safety valve, largely because keeping difficult feelings inside — what psychologists call repressive coping — can be bad for our health.
Why can I only cry when listening to music? ›
In 2011 one researcher suggested that music-induced sadness is disconnected from the usual displeasure experienced in sadness, and proposes that the “pleasure sometimes experienced while listening to sad music might be related to the adaptive, consoling physiological responses (like the release of prolactin) triggered ...
Why do I listen to sad music when I'm not sad? ›
Indeed, when people listen to sad music, only around 25% say they actually feel sad. The remainder experience other, often related emotions, most commonly nostalgia. This feeling of nostalgia can help increase our sense of social connectedness, mitigate feelings of meaningless, and reduce anxiety.
Can songs trigger crying? ›
But first you should know that brain and music research has proven a strong link exists between songs and feelings. And if you're a music lover, you know that certain songs can sound “sad” and may put a lump in your throat or tears in your eyes. This is no accident.
Why do I like crying to sad music? ›
At the biological level, sad music is linked to the hormone prolactin. which is associated with crying and helps to curb grief (Huron, 2011). Sad music tricks the brain into engaging a normal, compensatory response by releasing prolactin.
