Sad music evokes positive emotions

Why do people find solace in sad songs? To get over emotional stress and start their life afresh, an interesting study shows.

German researchers have discovered that sad music can evoke positive emotions like peacefulness and tenderness.

The biggest reward is that sad songs allow people to feel sadness without any of its "real-life implications", they found.

"In other words, you can safely explore what it is like to be a little blue without experiencing the intense grief of mourning.

"Sad music has potential to regulate negative moods and emotions, as well as to provide consolation... In this sense, sad music can play a role in well-being," explained study author Liila Taruffi from Freie Universitat Berlin, Germany.

For the study, researchers analysed a survey of more than 770 people around the world.

"Sad music promotes and creates a space for reflection and reappraisal of personal experiences, thoughts and feelings," Taruffi maintained.

The appreciation of sad music is enhanced after an argument with a loved one or a break-up, the authors said.

The findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.