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CrowdScience: Why does some music make us sad?

Discussion & Talk

Why does some music make us sad?

28/07/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - CrowdScience, Why does some music make us sad?

How music and emotion are intimately linked

Crowdscience investigates the link between music and emotion, to try and understand why certain songs can have such a profound impact on our mood.

CrowdScience investigates the link between music and emotion to try and understand why certain songs can have such a profound impact on our mood.

From breakup songs to upbeat holiday hits, many of us have made playlists that reflect how we feel, whether that’s down in the dumps or high as a kite. This week CrowdScience investigates the link between music and emotion to try and understand why certain songs can have such a profound impact on our mood.  

Presenter Anand Jagatia is surprised to learn that newborn babies are more likely to fall asleep when listening to fast tempo happy tunes than soothing sad lullabies, which may be because they’re attuned to multiple auditory stimuli after months in the womb.  

But later in life we actually seek out sad songs to make us feel better. The so-called ‘sadness paradox’ has been studied for many centuries. But what is it about melancholy music that might be good for us?  

Some scientists believe more empathetic people enjoy listening to these types of tune because they elicit a feeling of compassion towards others, which can be rewarding.  

A film composer tells us how scoring suspense isn’t simply about minor or major chords, or even what instruments you use – it all comes down to keeping the audience guessing about what’s coming next. 

(Photo:  young woman listening to headphones looking sad. Credit: Getty Images)

Presenter: Anand Jagatia 
Producer: Marijke Peters 
Production co-ordinator: Jonathan Harris 
Editor: Richard Collings 
Studio Technician: Phil Lander 

Contributors:  

Alex Heffes
Professor Stefan Koelsch
Dr Emese Nagy
Associate Professor Jonna Vuoskoski
Dr Scott Bannister

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