For this week’s blog post, I’ve decided to do a little research into a topic that has been in my head for the past month.

For a little background, about a week before I left for college, I was having a little picnic with my best friends from home. Long story short, some of my friends were giving advice for leaving behind boyfriends when we left for college, and I specifically remember one of my friends saying DO NOT LISTEN TO SAD MUSIC. Instead of songs that allow you to ruminate on your situation, she recommended songs by Lizzo and other women-empowering songs and to stay CLEAR of sad songs. Ever since then, I’ve been thinking about whether sad music can help or harm you when you’re sad. Of course, this topic is subjective and different for different types of people, but I wanted to see if there was any good information on the topic.

From my own recent experience, I can say that listening to Lizzo-like songs (Good as Hell, Truth Hurts, About Damn Time) can push off grief and temporarily alleviate the pain, providing small bursts of serotonin to help get through that initial pain shock of for example, a break up or leaving your home. I took my friend’s advice for a while, until recently when I allowed myself to listen to a sad song and had a good cry. I couldn’t tell if I felt better or worse.

While researching, I came across some articles articulating why we listen to sad music when we’re sad. I’ve always heard it said that we must confront our pain at some point. It isn’t healthy to push back your feelings; one’s emotional health thrives off of allowing oneself to feel.

Music, then, can help us do this while providing connection. Sadness can be isolating, but listening to a song with lyrics articulating the same things you are feeling or the same situation you are in can be comforting. This builds empathy–the ability to share in the circumstances of another–a key factor in one’s emotional health. Taking a listen to This Town or see you later (ten years) can remind us people have gone through the same thing we have, and we aren’t alone in feeling the way we do.

More scientifically and biologically, the hormone prolactin (related to crying and getting through grief) can be released when listening to sad music, as the music may trigger the brain to compensate for the sadness we start to feel. The prolactin then creates a calming effect on one’s mental distress.

Additionally, melancholy music is usually quite beautiful and articulate in its design which can distract one from their situation and pain. It allows us to dive into the art of the song.

We all have our own experiences dealing with pain and grief. To my friend’s point, it can help to just put on Irreplaceable by Beyonce and move on. However, there are many benefits to listening to sad music when you’re feeling down (as long as you don’t fall into an abyss of sadness); people have sad playlists for a reason! Let me know what you think!