Why do people seek out music that makes them cry? The paradox of the enjoyment of negative emotions in music is examined by reviewing some of the main literature on the topic. It is argued that perspectives based on emotivism and... more
Why do people seek out music that makes them cry? The paradox of the enjoyment of negative emotions in music is examined by reviewing some of the main literature on the topic. It is argued that perspectives based on emotivism and cognitivism each have some explanatory value, but they also provide apparently incompatible perspectives of how people engage with music. This paper considers the view that they both may be correct. Different levels of explanation are employed to help disentangle some of the theories used to explain the enjoyment of negative emotion in music. A solution to the paradox is then proposed by focusing on individual differences and by employing findings in philosophy, aesthetics and psychology in connection with our knowledge of imagination, empathy and dissociation. In particular, the paper argues that people have varying capacities to enjoy negative emotions in music according to their ability to (1) engage imaginatively, (2) have empathetic experiences, and (3) be able to dissociate. A more interdisciplinary approach is urged to help address long standing mysteries of our responses to music and the arts.
Why do people seek out music that makes them cry? This paradox is a complex one which appears to have no single answer. Rather, numerous factors appear to be interacting in the diverse responses of individuals to music. The present... more
Why do people seek out music that makes them cry? This paradox is a complex one
which appears to have no single answer. Rather, numerous factors appear to be
interacting in the diverse responses of individuals to music. The present study tested
the hypothesis that individual differences in dissociation, absorption, fantasyproneness,
empathy and rumination would be related to the enjoyment of negative
emotion in music. Fifty-nine participants completed a survey pertaining to this
question. Results revealed statistically significant positive relationships between
enjoyment of evoked negative emotion in response to music with both absorption and
the recently reported construct of ‘Music Empathy’. Factor analysis and a regression
model confirmed these results, and the approach suggests that further study of
individual differences will continue to provide new insights into some of the subtleties
of the enjoyment of negative emotions in music.
The mood-management theory of music preference assumes that people make choices based on a desire to improve or sustain a good mood. However, this theory does not adequately explain why some people enjoy listening to sad music. The... more
The mood-management theory of music preference assumes that people make choices based on a desire to improve or sustain a good mood. However, this theory does not adequately explain why some people enjoy listening to sad music. The purpose of this paper is to explore one of the predictors of the selection of sad music. Patterns of thinking which may provide exceptions to mood-management theory will be discussed. In particular, this paper will examine the possibility that the tendency to ruminate is correlated to an attraction to music that portrays negative emotions such as sadness.
There is some evidence that both preferences and an attraction to computers and technology are related to personality. This paper will argue that the specific measure of 'music-systemizing' may therefore be predictive of a preference for... more
There is some evidence that both preferences and an attraction to computers and technology are related to personality. This paper will argue that the specific measure of 'music-systemizing' may therefore be predictive of a preference for electronica, techno and computer-generated music. We report a preliminary study with 36 participants in which those who enjoy computer music based genres demonstrated a trend of higher mean score on the music-systemizing scale than those who enjoy love songs.
Chiloé has become well-known as a cultural tourism destination since its registration as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2000 on account of its distinctive wooden architecture. Similarly, the island's tradition of song, dance and... more
Chiloé has become well-known as a cultural tourism destination since its registration as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2000 on account of its distinctive wooden architecture. Similarly, the island's tradition of song, dance and instrumental performance has come to play a large role in summer season tourism in the region. But while these two aspects of the island's 'patrimonio cultural' (cultural heritage) have established a high visibility in the island's branding as a tourism destination, a number of equally distinct cultural traditions continue - albeit 'below the radar' of tourism marketing. Amongst these are a number of elaborate syncreticisms that combine European colonial and indigenous traditions in highly idiosyncratic ways. A prime example is the ‘cantos de angeles’, a particular song form used for the funerals of children under the age of five. While this ritual existed in other parts of Chile, the isolation of Chiloé from the mainland has preserved it in distinct form. This particular ritual will be discussed with reference to the folklore surrounding death that exists on Chiloé.
Why do people listen to music that evokes negative emotions? This paper presents five comparative interviews conducted to examine this question. Individual differences psychology and mood management theory provided a theoretical framework... more
Why do people listen to music that evokes negative emotions? This paper presents five comparative interviews conducted to examine this question. Individual differences psychology and mood management theory provided a theoretical framework for the investigation which was conducted under a realist paradigm. Data sources were face-to-face interviews of about one hour involving a live music listening experience. Thematic analysis of the data was conducted and both within-case and cross-case analyses were performed. Results confirmed the complexity of variables at play in individual cases while supporting the hypothesis that absorption and dissociation make it possible for the arousal experienced when listening to sad music to be enjoyed without displeasure. At the same time, participants appeared to be seeking a variety of psychological benefits such as reflecting on life-events, enjoying emotional communion, or engaging in a process of catharsis. A novel finding was that maladaptive mood regulation habits may cause some to listen to sad music even when such benefits are not being obtained, supporting some recent empirical evidence on why people are attracted to negative emotion in music.
Individual differences were investigated in an attempt to explain why some people are attracted to negative emotion (grief, sadness) in music. A ten item Like Sad Music Scale (LSMS) was developed (Cronbach Alpha .802) and compared... more
Individual differences were investigated in an attempt to explain why some people are attracted to negative emotion (grief, sadness) in music. A ten item Like Sad Music Scale (LSMS) was developed (Cronbach Alpha .802) and compared against subscales measuring Absorption, Music Empathy, Rumination, Reflectiveness, and Nostalgia-Proneness. This was tested via an online survey, completed by 137 participants. It was hypothesised that Absorption and Reflectiveness would be correlated with the enjoyment of sad music and Rumination would be correlated with an attraction to sad music although not necessarily an enjoyment of it. Consistent with previous findings, Absorption was a good predictor of the LSMS and was particularly correlated with the enjoyment of strong emotions in connection with sad music. Rumination correlated with LSMS items ‘Helps release sadness’ and ‘Can relate to sadness’ while Reflectiveness correlated with the item ‘I often find myself grieving as a result of listening to sad music’. These correlations suggest both adaptive and maladaptive uses of sad music for mood manipulation. The results were presented with respect to the dissociation theory of aesthetic enjoyment, where participants with the capacity to enter states of absorption are able to deactivate displeasure circuits, and hence enjoy negative emotion in music.
Despite the paradox inherent in the idea that sad music could make people happier, research indicates that an improved mood is amongst the primary motivations that people give for listening to sad music. However, it is not clear whether... more
Despite the paradox inherent in the idea that sad music could make people happier, research indicates that an improved mood is amongst the primary motivations that people give for listening to sad music. However, it is not clear whether listeners are always able to achieve such aims. This article reports a study in which 335 participants listened to a piece of self-selected sad music. Before and after-measures of mood were taken, and participants also completed psychometric scales of rumination, absorption and reflectiveness. It was found that both ruminators and non-ruminators had significant increases in depression after listening to self-selected sad music. Furthermore, ruminators did not systematically report that they expected to benefit from listening to sad music, contrary to the literature. Results support the hypothesis that listening to sad music is related to maladaptive mood regulation strategies in some listeners.
The difficulty of distinguishing between mood and emotion is an issue that confronts many researchers investigating affective response to music. This paper reports a systematic interpretive review of 95 articles in which the focus was on... more
The difficulty of distinguishing between mood and emotion is an issue that confronts many researchers investigating affective response to music. This paper reports a systematic interpretive review of 95 articles in which the focus was on questioning how researchers conceptualized mood and emotion, measured it, and drew conclusions from their findings. Results revealed a significant difference in the length of musical stimuli between studies of emotional response and those measuring mood changes, suggesting that this is the primary criterion by which researchers currently distinguish moods and emotions. However, it is argued that mood studies, in particular, could benefit from study designs that use appropriately worded instruments administered at several poststimulus time points in order to better distinguish the phenomenon of interest
This study presents the case of Joyce Evans, a well-known Australian photographer, and the musical work that she commissioned from the esteemed Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin. The work, called Joyce’s Mob, was premiered at the... more
This study presents the case of Joyce Evans, a well-known Australian photographer, and the musical work that she commissioned from the esteemed Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin. The work, called Joyce’s Mob, was premiered at the Sydney Opera House in August 2013. In her introductory speech on that occasion, eighty-four-year-old Evans called the work her ‘requiem’. The current paper explores Evans’ motivation in commissioning the work and what processes the composer went through in attempting to write a ‘requiem’ for a living person. The paper traces the process of adjustment by Evans as she contemplates her advancing age and the changes this has and will involve. It also explores the compositional process undertaken by the composer.
In a world that is dominated by news of conflict, violence and natural disasters affecting millions of people around the globe, there is a need for effective strategies for coping with trauma. The effects of such trauma on both... more
In a world that is dominated by news of conflict, violence and natural disasters affecting millions of people around the globe, there is a need for effective strategies for coping with trauma. The effects of such trauma on both individuals and communities, are deep and long-lasting (Sutton, 2002). Cultural techniques play an important role in helping communities to recover from trauma. Sports and games, for example, have been used in numerous settings with individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (Lawrence et al., 2010). Other arts-based therapies such as reading or creative writing are also proving to be effective means for dealing with the aftermath of traumatic events. Music can also play a role in helping individuals and communities to cope with trauma, whether it be through the intervention of music therapists, community music making programs or individual music listening. However, despite the abundance of positive examples of the value of the arts in trauma recovery, music, and the arts receives little recognition by leaders in global health issues (Clift et al., 2010). This paper will argue, therefore, that there is a need for a solid empirical evidence base that can illuminate the mechanisms by which music and arts therapies are effective, as well as consideration of how individual differences in personality and coping style can moderate participant responses to such therapies.
ABSTRACT Individual differences were investigated in an attempt to explain why some people are attracted to negative emotion (grief, sadness) in music. A 10-item Like Sad Music Scale (LSMS) was developed (Cronbach’s α = .802) and compared... more
ABSTRACT Individual differences were investigated in an attempt to explain why some people are attracted to negative emotion (grief, sadness) in music. A 10-item Like Sad Music Scale (LSMS) was developed (Cronbach’s α = .802) and compared against subscales measuring absorption, music empathy, rumination, reflectiveness and nostalgia-proneness. This was tested via an online survey, completed by 137 participants. It was hypothesized that absorption and reflectiveness would be correlated with the enjoyment of sad music and rumination would be correlated with an attraction to sad music although not necessarily an enjoyment of it. Consistent with previous findings, absorption was a good predictor of the LSMS and was particularly correlated with the enjoyment of strong emotions in connection with sad music. Rumination correlated with LSMS items ‘helps release sadness’ and ‘can relate to sadness’ while reflectiveness correlated with the item ‘I often find myself grieving as a result of listening to sad music’. These correlations suggest both adaptive and maladaptive uses of sad music for mood manipulation. The results were presented with respect to the dissociation theory of aesthetic enjoyment, where participants with the capacity to enter states of absorption are able to deactivate displeasure circuits and hence enjoy negative emotion in music.
ABSTRACT The stereotypical image that many people would picture when they think of a composer is that of the classical musician like Beethoven who was reportedly an introvert, moody and angst-ridden. However, findings in relation to... more
ABSTRACT The stereotypical image that many people would picture when they think of a composer is that of the classical musician like Beethoven who was reportedly an introvert, moody and angst-ridden. However, findings in relation to personality traits that correlate with creativity amongst composers of music, paint a much blurrier picture. This paper reports the result of a study in which 40 current students of composition completed a survey about their preferred working methods and several personality measures. Results indicate that high scores in creativity amongst the composers in our sample was associated with valuing individuality, being highly motivated and gaining great satisfaction from seeing compositions performed. Creative composers tended to take inspiration from non-auditory stimuli such as pictures and to have several works in progress at a time. In addition, correlations were also found between creativity and Extraversion on both its sub-facets of Enthusiasm and Assertiveness.
