Why do we listen to sad songs?Follow

Because life generally is pretty shitty.

[an error occ[Antiquewhite][/Antiquewhite]urred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]

In order to enjoy contentment or happiness, one needs to know the opposite. You can not always be in a state of contentment or happiness and actually understand what it means unless you have something to compare it to

I blame it on alcohol ...

Well, like DSD & Co. said, a healthy emotional state involves acknowledging sadness as well as joy. Being a black-garbed sad clown in your basement isn't healthy but neither is being a blindly pure-hearted Pollyanna.

I think that, just due to how we experience and deal with emotion, sad songs, movies, etc are 'deeper' than happy ones. When we're depressed about something, there's a common urge to disassemble our thoughts and figure out exactly why we're affected as we are. Probably as a defense against feeling that way again, I suppose. When we're happy, we don't really worry so much about why we're having a good time so upbeat music, cinema, etc is thought of as more shallow. Of course, calling one "deep" and the other "shallow" puts an unfair value judgement on them, as if sad songs have more worth or social worth than upbeat ones. It does mean though that sad songs probably tend to draw the listener in more and create more of a bond with the song.

My name is Jophiel and I skipped 80% of the Psychology 101 course that I took 12 years ago.

because everyone wants to relate to someone else, we're social beings.

Nexa

I think it's subconscious.

When you're not particularly sad yourself, and you listen to a sad song, it's a bit like when you look down from a very tall building, or when you watch images of dying kids on TV. Observing the sadness, and thereby constrasting it (subconsciously) with your own state of non-sadness, makes you feel lucky, and blessed, and in the end, good.

I don't do it very often, but some sad songs do make me feel lucky.

And some sad songs are just beautiful, and there is a tremendous beauty in sadness. But it has to be done well.

I have always thought people just passively absorbed whatever was forced upon them by the radio.

It's true. I once turned into a man from mars and started eating cars...and bars...

Nexa

Sad music tends to be bittersweet at times, like there is a beauty in the fact that we are all, at our heart, vulnerable and fragile. Society is all about people not wanting to feel alone, so in some sense, it's natural.

I do think it's unhealthy for teens to willingly go through an angsty phase as a search for depth of some sort. Life brings sadness no matter what, but happiness is something you work for. At its heart, depression just makes you lazy.

Some sad songs are bloody hilarious!

Have you ever heard of "Last Kiss"? Comedy gold!

Oh where, oh where, can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me.
She's gone to heaven so I've got to be good,
So I can see my baby when I leave this world.

We were out on a date in my daddy's car,
We hadn't driven very far.
There in the road straight ahead,
A car was stalled, the engine was dead.
I couldn't stop, so I swerved to the right,
I'll never forget the sound that night.
The screaming tires, the busting glass,
The painful scream that I heard last.

[Chorus]

When I woke up, the rain was falling down,
There were people standing all around.
Something warm flowing through my eyes,
But somehow I found my baby that night.
I lifted her head, she looked at me and said;
"Hold me darling just a little while."
I held her close I kissed her - our last kiss,
I found the love that I knew I had missed.
Well now she's gone even though I hold her tight,
I lost my love, my life that night.

[Chorus]

Maybe if you didn't set such high standards for yourself you'd finally get to 30k one of these days.

I think somebody is spending too much time in forum=28 again.