We Need Light, We Need Love
Research has shown that sad music can evoke three different kinds of emotional responses: pleasure, comfort, and pain. Older people report experiencing a comforting sadness, while younger people and women report more negative feelings when listening to sad music. But the most frequent feelings associated with listening to sad music are positive.
Psychology Professor Cher McGillivray explains that when musicians write and sing sad music, they are using their art to reflect, become more self-aware, and gain new perspectives, which can improve their mental health. And she says that when music lovers connect with their favorite artist’s stories, it can help the fan’s trauma and pain become more tolerable. “Engaging with trauma in art allows us to rewrite the outcome from being victims of our circumstances to victors.”
Professor McGillivray continues, “psychologists understand that the quickest way to understanding someone is through their wounds, and musicians too understand this power of music to comfort, console, encourage and exhort themselves and other broken hearts.”
Artists and athletes have been speaking out about their mental health recently, normalizing mental health conditions and seeking treatment. Kevin Love, basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers, wrote about a panic attack he suffered during a game. He addressed the stigma people experience around mental health issues, and the self-awareness he increased in therapy. He wrote, “and it’s not some magical process. It’s terrifying and awkward and hard, at least in my experience so far. I know you don’t just get rid of problems by talking about them, but I’ve learned that over time maybe you can better understand them and make them more manageable.”
Perhaps Love’s greatest insight was when he wrote about another player disclosing his experiences with depression. He reminded us that all humans have struggles and heartbreaks, and that while mental health issues are invisible, they are also universal. He said, “everyone is going through something we can’t see.”
Professor McGillivray instructs that we need to feel safe and connected to others. The Rihanna anthem from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the sad song that touched me recently:
Drowning in an endless sea
Take some time and stay with me
Keep me safe
We need light, we need love
Takeaway: We are all going through invisible heartbreaks and struggles. Connection, a feeling of psychological safety, and therapy are healing options. Take a few minutes and listen to Rihanna’s Lift Me Up at the link below. Many thanks to my therapist, April!
Wishing you light and love as we end 2022. The Professional Brain will be back in January.
Well-being is a journey, not a quick fix
Sources
Cher McGillivray, ‘I’m the problem, It’s me’: Why do Musicians Revisit Their Pain and Doubt in their Art, The Conversation, Nov. 10, 2022, 'I'm the problem, it's me': Why do musicians revisit their pain and doubt in their art? (theconversation.com).
Durham University, Music Reveals Pain, Pleasure of Sad Music, Science Daily, June 14, 2016, Research reveals pain, pleasure of sad music -- ScienceDaily.
Kevin Love, Everyone is Going Through Something, The Players Tribune, Mar. 6, 2018, Kevin Love on Mental Health: Everyone Is Going Through Something (theplayerstribune.com).
Rihanna, Lift Me Up, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Oct 2022, (151) Rihanna - Lift Me Up (From Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) - YouTube
