Why Listening to Sad to Music Helps

Others who study the appeal of sad music say listening to it may be therapeutic for people dealing with grief or loss. “We have built-in psychological, hormonal, and physiological systems that facilitate dealing with Sad,” says Tuomas Eerola, a professor of music cognition.
Eerola says. “The fact that music or art is non-interactive is actually an advantage in situations of loss and sadness since there is no judgment, no probing. An artwork or a song that a person can relate to can provide comfort without the baggage of social interaction with another human being.”

Rather than prolonging sorrow, sad songs and books and films seem to give people relief and pleasure — and maybe even a greater sense of emotional connection to other human beings.
In short, music has the proven ability to affect emotions, mood, memory, and attention. The emotional power of music is one of the main motivations of people who devote so much time, energy and money to it.
The ability of music to express emotions is also the reason for its application in music therapy. The knowledge about ways in which sad music becomes enjoyable can inform existing music therapy practices for mood disorders.