Why do people listen to sad music when they're already sad to make them more sad?

Answer 1

The question of the presence and role of negative emotions in the experience of music - Does sad music make one sad? - has been recognized as a key to understanding much musical experience, especially in terms of the apprehension and expressive power of specifically formal features of music. One set of scholars, sometimes loosely labeled "emotivists," has argued that negative emotional responses do play a central role in the apprehension of much music, that is, that actual sadness is a natural, intentional and essential response to sad music. Advocates of this view base their arguments in large part on stated assumptions that many listeners do claim that sad music makes them sad. This article presents the results of a survey of listener responses to music. In particular, in its admittedly limited sample, it finds little support for the emotivists' assumptions about listeners' reactions and raises doubts about their argument in general.

Answer 2

Either the music or the vocals. It's usually pretty obvious.

A dark, jazzy tone usually resembles a sad song. For instance, the blues.

Lyrics that contain the words "And I lost everything I own, only to figure out later that I had cancer" is also an example of a sad song.

Answer 3

Sad songs can make a miserable person ever more miserable. Or, they can make a happy person miserable. Thus, sad songs will make a sad person more sad or a happy person sad, which is sad in and of itself.

Answer 4

Because if they didn't make you sad they would not be sad songs.

Answer 5

Not all country songs are sad. some such as boondocks by little big town is not sad

Answer 6

Because it wouldn't make sense if they listened to LOUD hardcore Rock Music.

Answer 7

Certain songs make people cry because music these days is terrible...

also down - jay sean. gets me everytime.

Answer 8

because they wanted it to be sad. thats why its called blues music because blue means to be sad or down.

Answer 9

it makes them emotional