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Why do people with depression like listening to sad music?

cmt12

Senior Member
Messages
166
Depressed people find melancholy music beneficial for the same reason why an addict may benefit from admitting to powerlessness within the Twelve Step Program - the stage of acceptance is progress compared to the stage of resistance. Sad songs help depressed people feel their depression rather than deny it.
 

Wayne

Senior Member
Messages
4,321
Location
Ashland, Oregon
I was in a store recently, and kind of stopped in my tracks when I heard a somewhat familiar song I had not heard in years. I felt pretty captivated by the song, and was able to find it on YouTube when I got home.

The author of the of the song apparently wrote it when he was 19 years old. The song is really pretty simple, yet pretty powerful. A number of comments on YouTube attest to how it deeply affected many young people while they were going to school.

I looked for a good thread to post this on, and decided that was the thread where it fit best. I've listened to it several times in the past few days, and for some reason continues to captivate me in an unusual way. I think it continues to help me feel more depth in the moment.