We all know the powerful effect that music can have on mood. You might be feeling rather chirpy, but then a tear-jerker comes on the car radio and you arrive home feeling morose. For most of us, these ...

Are we intentionally making ourselves feel worse by listening to sad music? Studies show that the reason we always go back to ...

"What came first — the music or the misery?" That sad-sack line from High Fidelity more or less sums up most people's relationship with sad music: necessary and potentially indulgent. But as it turns ...

You would think happy people would prefer to listen to happy music. Lyrics that speak to their positive mood, bringing them cheer and joy. Yet, sad music tends to have a longer-lasting appeal for many ...

Sad music might actually evoke positive emotions, reveals a new study by Japanese researchers. Sad music might actually evoke positive emotions reveals a new study by Japanese researchers published in ...

People with depression listen to sad music because it makes them feel better, according to a small study that is one of the first to investigate why people turn to tearjerkers when they’re already ...

Can you tell if a song is happy or sad within the first few seconds of hearing it? A recent scientific study confirms the long-held impression that, yes, the chordal composition of a tune is usually ...

Six years ago, Glenn Schellenberg decided to do an experiment. Schellenberg works at the University of Toronto, where he studies the psychology of music. The idea behind his experiment couldn't have ...

Psychologists and philosophers have long puzzled over why people enjoy songs about sad topics. Even more paradoxically, some of the saddest songs are set to upbeat tunes—The Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye,” ...