Sad Music and the Mind: The Effects Sad Music has on the Mind

            It’s always tough going through any type of tragedy; the loss of a best friend, terrorist attack, or Mother Nature related devastation.  In any case, lots of things are used to cope with these events; one of these methods is music, but what happens in our minds when we listen to sad music?  What causes us to deepen in sadness?  What causes us to choose a certain song?

            When listening to sad music or just music in general, a couple of areas of the brain are activated.  “The auditory cortex is an important part of processing the sound of music…takes in information from the ear and assesses the pitch and volume of the sound…tapping along to something as basic as a 1:2 rhythm brings in the left frontal cortex, left parietal cortex and cerebellum.”  (Wilkins, 2011)  Though this information is useful, this author still feels the more pertinent question needs to be answered, what causes us to deepen in sadness?

            While looking through some resources, I came across an interesting theory.  Now I am still unsure if I agree with it, but it seems to make the most sense.  This theory is called “The Shared Pain” theory.  “Levitin (2008) claims that musical sadness serves to ‘[bring] us through stages of feeling understood, feeling less alone in the world, hopeful that if someone else recovered so will we’ (p. 135)…the difference between musical sadness and real sadness lies in the former one being shared while the latter one is more private.” (Kunert, 2012)  This makes sense because in this the writer gave an example of Elton John’s Candle in the Wind.  How it was released after Princess Diana’s death, and how it may have helped people worldwide in sharing an emotion most would’ve had to deal with themselves.

            Why do people, in general, then always go back to a certain song when trying to cope with these emotions?  For me it’s because music takes me back, very vividly I might add, to the moment and the feelings I had then.  Though can this be true for most everyone?  “Part of the reason the music tends to be so meaningful to us is that it’s deeply intertwined with memory…it’s one of the parts of a situation that is remembered most clearly later on. Songs and pieces of music can serve as powerful triggers for memories – hence the cliché about couples and ‘their song.’” (Wilkins, 2011)  So then maybe I’m not the only one who might feel this way, maybe music truly is the language of the soul.

            Now I love music just as much as the next person, maybe a little more because I feel it speaks to me somehow.  Though to find out that music is, in some weird and primal way, a deep part of every person.  From tapping out a rhythm with your toes, to feeling the emotion of your favorite artist, to remembering a moment in time; music truly crosses bounds and touches hearts…and minds.

References

Kunert, R. (2012, May 1) Why do We Like Sad Music? In Brain’s Idea.  Retreived July 18, 2014, from Google.

Levition, D.J. (2008). The World in Six Songs (p. 135). London: Aurum Press.

Wilkins, A. (2011, September 7). What Happens to Your BrainUnder the Influence of Music. In io9. Retrieved July 18, 2014, from Google.