Sad Music and Depression - Does It Actually Work?

Music is a key component when it comes to healing procedures across history and in present day. Procedures like sound therapy operate on similar basis. When it comes to people dealing with depression, music has proven to either indicate their state or have a healing impact.

Source - Rareform Audio

The Relationship Between Music and Depression

In many studies conducted, it has been found that-

1. Preference for Sad Music 

It has been observed that people with depression tend to prefer listening to sad music. This preference has been a subject of debate, with some researchers interpreting it as a maladaptive coping mechanism, suggesting that depressed individuals seek to maintain or even intensify their sad feelings.

2. Motivation Behind Sad Music Preference

A lot of studies challenge the notion that the preference for sad music is solely driven by a desire to wallow in sadness. Instead, they suggest that depressed individuals might be drawn to the calming and relaxing qualities of sad music, often characterized by slow tempos and flowing melodies. This interpretation aligns with the idea of seeking safety and security, a potential manifestation of the primal belief in a "Safe" world, as discussed in our previous conversation.

3. Impact on Mood

Research suggests that listening to sad music can lead to positive mood changes in depressed individuals. This finding contradicts the assumption that engaging with sad stimuli would necessarily worsen mood. One study found that depressed participants reported increased happiness and decreased sadness after listening to their preferred music, which was more likely to be sad. This suggests that the calming effects of sad music might outweigh any potential negative impact of its emotional content.

4. Cognitive Biases and Emotional Processing

Some researches explore how cognitive biases associated with depression might influence emotional responses to music. For instance, depressed individuals might exhibit a negative bias in perceiving and recognizing emotions in music, leading to heightened sensitivity to sadness or difficulty experiencing joy from happy music.

5. Music-Evoked Memories 

It has been suggested that music's ability to trigger vivid and specific memories, particularly autobiographical ones, can profoundly impact mood. For individuals with depression, who often experience memory impairments and negative biases in recall, music might evoke a higher proportion of negative memories, potentially contributing to low mood. However, this also presents a potential therapeutic opportunity. Music could be used to facilitate access to specific memories in therapy, aiding in the processing of past experiences and emotional regulation.

6. Emotion Regulation with Music

While we acknowledge music's potential for both adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation, it can be suggested that depressed individuals do not necessarily use music in a more maladaptive way than non-depressed individuals. This challenges the assumption that depressed individuals would be more prone to using music for rumination or other potentially harmful coping strategies. It suggests that music listening might offer a relatively safe space for emotional processing, regardless of one's mental health status.

Approaches to Studying Emotion Regulation with Music in Depressed Individuals

There are several approaches researchers use to study how depressed individuals regulate their emotions with music-

1. Laboratory Experiments

Researchers design controlled experiments to assess preferences for and responses to different types of music. For example, describes a study that replicated and expanded on a previous experiment where participants with MDD and healthy controls (HC) listened to happy, neutral, and sad music excerpts and chose which one they wanted to hear most. Researchers also examined the effects of music with varying energy levels (e.g., relaxing versus stimulating) on mood and preference.

 
2. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)

Suggests that EMA is a valuable tool for studying emotion regulation with music in daily life. EMA involves repeated assessments of participants’ experiences in their natural environments, allowing researchers to track how mood and music choices fluctuate across different contexts. This approach offers a more ecologically valid perspective compared to laboratory settings.

3. Surveys

Researchers use surveys to gather information about music listening habits, preferences, and motivations for music choice in both depressed and non-depressed individuals. For example, describes a survey that measured emotion regulation strategies, goals, and mechanisms associated with music listening.

4. Qualitative Analysis

Researchers analyze narrative accounts of music listening experiences to gain a deeper understanding of the subjective meaning and emotional significance individuals ascribe to music. This approach can reveal insights into the personal motivations and strategies underlying emotion regulation with music.

Additional Considerations

• Individual Differences - It's essential to recognize that the relationship between music and mental disorders is complex and influenced by various factors, including individual preferences, cultural background, and the specific nature of the disorder.

• Need for Further Research - We must recognise the need for more research to fully understand how music impacts individuals with mental disorders. In particular, studies using naturalistic methods like Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), which track real-time experiences in everyday settings, could offer valuable insights.

Written By Dixitaa Jaisinghani

This article has been authored exclusively by the writer and is being presented on Eat My News, which serves as a platform for the community to voice their perspectives. As an entity, Eat My News cannot be held liable for the content or its accuracy. The views expressed in this article solely pertain to the author or writer. For further queries about the article or its content you can contact on this email address - dixitaajaisinghani@gmail.com