Individual Differences in the Enjoyment of Negative Emotion in Music: A Literature Review and Experiment

@article{Garrido2011IndividualDI,
  title={Individual Differences in the Enjoyment of Negative Emotion in Music: A Literature Review and Experiment},
  author={Sandra Garrido and Emery Schubert},
  journal={Music Perception},
  year={2011},
  volume={28},
  pages={279-295}
}
Why do People Seek out Music that Makes Them cry? This paradox is a complex one that appears to have no single answer. Rather, numerous factors appear to be interacting in the diverse responses of individuals to music. The present study tested the hypothesis that individual differences in dissociation, absorption, fantasy proneness, empathy, and rumination would be related to the enjoyment of negative emotion in music. Fifty-nine participants completed a survey pertaining to this question… 
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168 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
17
Background Citations
90
Methods Citations
3
Results Citations
16

168 Citations

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The Pleasure Evoked by Sad Music Is Mediated by Feelings of Being Moved
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It is argued that felt sadness may contribute to the enjoyment ofSad music by intensifying feelings of being moved, and the aesthetic appreciation of sad music is mediated by being moved.
Loved music can make a listener feel negative emotions
This paper tested the applicability of cognitive unit activation (CUA) theory to explain the paradoxical enjoyment of felt negative emotions in music. CUA refers to preference for activation of…
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TLDR
This is the first comprehensive survey of music-evoked sadness, revealing that listening to sad music can lead to beneficial emotional effects such as regulation of negative emotion and mood as well as consolation.
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Emotional responses to music involve the interplay of multiple factors related to music, listener, and situation (Gabrielsson, 2001; Scherer & Zentner, 2001). For instance, individuals differ in…
On the Enjoyment of Sad Music: Pleasurable Compassion Theory and the Role of Trait Empathy
TLDR
A general theory of the pleasure of tragic or sad portrayals is presented, suggesting individuals who most enjoy sad musical portrayals experience a pleasurable prosocial affect, amplified by empathetic engagement (fantasy), while experiencing only nominal levels of unpleasant emotional contagion (commiseration).
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References

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