Adele’s
new
album,
30,
is
finally
available.
Last
month,
hundreds
of
millions
of
us
streamed
its
first
single,
Easy
On
Me.
This
song
evokes
feelings
not
easily
put
into
words.
But
we
can
probably
agree
it
is
a
sad
song.
It
isn’t
obvious
that
we
should
like
sad
music.
Sadness
is
usually
a
feeling
we
try
to
avoid.
An
alien
might
expect
us
to
find
such
music
depressing
and
dislikable.
Yet,
sad
music
pulls
us
in
and
lifts
us
up.
So,
why
does
hearing
sad
music
feel
so
good?
The
biology
of
sad
music
Let’s
start
with
biological
theories.
When
we
experience
real-life
loss,
or
empathise
with
another’s
pain,
hormones
such
as
prolactin
and
oxytocin
are
released
within
us.
These
help
us
cope
with
loss
and
pain.
They
do
so
by
making
us
feel
calmed,
consoled,
and
supported.
Feeling
Adele’s
pain,
or
recalling
our
own,
may
cause
such
chemical
changes
within
us.
Clicking
on
Adele’s
song
may
be
like
clicking
on
our
own
metaphorical
morphine
drip.
The
jury
is
still
out
on
this
theory.
One
study
found
no
evidence
that
sad
music
increases
prolactin
levels.
Yet,
other
studies
have
hinted
at
a
role
for
prolactin
and
oxytocin
in
making
sad
music
feel
good.
The
psychology
of
sad
music
A
key
reason
we
enjoy
sad
songs
is
because
they
profoundly
“move”
us.
This
experience
is
sometimes
called
kama
muta,
a
Sanskrit
term
meaning
“moved
by
love”.
Feeling
moved
can
involve
chills,
goosebumps,
a
flood
of
emotions
(including
romantic
ones),
a
warmth
in
our
chest,
and
elation.
But
why
do
we
feel
moved?
The
American
writer
James
Baldwin
got
at
this
when
he
reflected:
“The
things
that
tormented
me
most
were
the
very
things
that
connected
me
with
all
the
people
who
were
alive,
who
had
ever
been
alive.”
Similarly,
feeling
moved
can
come
from
us
suddenly
feeling
closer
to
other
people.
This
may
explain
why
the
people
most
likely
to
feel
moved
by
sad
music
are
those
high
in
empathy.
Indeed,
when
we
have
listened
to
30
we
may
turn
to
reaction
videos
to
see
how
others
feel.
This
lets
us
share
an
emotional
experience
with
others.
A
sense
of
communal
sharing
boosts
our
feeling
of
being
moved
and
triggers
feelings
of
comfort
and
belonging.
A
related
suggestion
is
that
Adele’s
sad
music
can
be
a
friend
to
us.
It
can
act
as
a
social
surrogate.
Sad
music
can
be
experienced
as
an
imaginary
friend
who
provides
support
and
empathy
after
loss.
Feeling
moved
can
also
result
from
memories
being
triggered
of
important
moments
of
our
lives.
Adele’s
songs
are
powerfully
nostalgic.
It
may
be
nostalgia,
rather
than
sadness,
that
we
enjoy.
Indeed,
when
people
listen
to
sad
music,
only
around
25%
say
they
actually
feel
sad.
The
remainder
experience
other,
often
related
emotions,
most
commonly
nostalgia.
This
feeling
of
nostalgia
can
help
increase
our
sense
of
social
connectedness,
mitigate
feelings
of
meaningless,
and
reduce
anxiety.
A
completely
different
type
of
psychological
theory
is
that
Adele’s
songs
are
emotional
gyms.
They
give
us
a
safe,
controlled
space
in
which
we
can
explore
simulated
sadness.
They
are
the
emotional
equivalent
of
Neo
sparring
with
Morpheus
in
the
Matrix
movie.
Simulated
sadness
lets
us
experiment
with
and
learn
from
this
emotion.
We
can
enhance
our
empathy,
learn
to
better
see
things
from
other
people’s
perspectives,
and
try
out
various
responses
to
sadness.
This
may
make
us
better
prepared
for
when
real
loss
strikes.
Such
learning
experiences
may
have
evolved
to
be
pleasurable
to
encourage
their
use.
Making
sense
of
sadness
Alternatively,
it
could
be
that
Adele’s
songs
aren’t
pleasurable
because
they
are
sad
or
nostalgic.
They
may
be
pleasurable
simply
because
they
are
beautiful.
Sadness
might
just
happen
to
coincide
with
beauty.
Indeed,
seeing
acts
of
moral
virtue
or
beauty
have
been
suggested
to
provoke
feelings
of
elevation
and
can
touch,
move
and
inspire
us.
We
can
also
think
at
the
cultural
level.
Here
we
can
view
the
pleasure
Adele’s
songs
gives
us
in
terms
of
the
meaning
she
helps
us
make.
Adele
takes
hard
life
experiences
and
helps
makes
sense
of
them.
This
is
what
much
tragic
art
does.
It
takes
the
pain
and
the
suffering
and
the
sadness
of
the
world
and
gives
it
meaning.
As
the
German
philosopher
Friedrich
Nietzsche
once
put
it,
someone
who
has
a
why
to
live
can
bear
almost
any
how.
Ultimately,
Adele’s
songs
will
mean
something
different
to
each
of
us.
We
listen
to
sad
music
when
we
want
to
reflect,
belong,
or
relax.
We
listen
to
experience
beauty,
receive
comfort
or
reminisce.
But
to
all
of
us
Adele’s
songs
say:
you
are
not
alone
in
your
pain.
They
let
us
feel
her
pain,
share
our
suffering,
and
connect
with
others
past
and
present.
And
in
the
sharedness
of
our
humanity
is
beauty.
By
Simon
McCarthy-Jones,
Associate
Professor
in
Clinical
Psychology
and
Neuropsychology,
Trinity
College
Dublin
Dublin,
Nov
20
(The
Conversation).