John Keats’ poem “Ode on Melancholy” asserts that experiencing the feeling of sadness is necessary in a person’s life in order for that person to understand the full extent of happiness. While Keats has a different perspective as a man who knows he is dying, I would argue that his statement is accurate and still applicable to people’s everyday situations today.

While Psychology Today does convey that the enduring popularity of sad songs is odd, the simple fact that people like to feel a wide range of emotions is undeniable. The article explains that the desirability of listening to sad songs spans historical periods and several different cultures, indicating that people are drawn to sad songs for a reason. According to Psychology Today’s research, sad songs stabilize emotions and recover positive moods. The hormones released in association with social bonding and nurturance, two qualities sad songs can evoke from their listeners, allow a person to feel a similar sensation to that of venting to a close friend. Sad songs allow us to release emotional stress, as well as make sense of our thoughts for ourselves.

While listening to the stories and sorrows of others may put our own problems in perspective, people still may not understand why one would voluntarily submit themselves to potential hurt and pain. In a recent study at Tokyo University of the Arts, researchers found that “sadness experienced through music or art can be pleasant, possibly because it does not pose an actual threat to our safety – unlike in real life, where emotions can and often do directly shake us (both physically and emotionally).” In other words, sad songs act as a consoling friend who says all the right things; emotional, melancholic songs alleviate rather than suppress the negative feelings we experience in our lives.

Rather than denying one’s emotions, the best way to recover from a heartbreak is by embracing the sadness. The most effective way to comprehend feelings that are difficult to explain in words is by listening to songs that express sadness, jealousy, fear, anger and a range of other emotions in ways we can only imagine.

According to research conducted by psychologists from the Free University of Berlin in Germany, the most prevalent feeling evoked from listeners of sad music is nostalgia, and the second is peace. In other words, we find understanding and closure in projecting our feelings onto the plots of sad songs. By actually facing the sadness and not repressing it, people have the strength to move on with their lives.

According to Berkeley University’s Greater Good Magazine, people are fascinated by sad songs because they “move us.” Seemingly being able to experience an event is the most powerful sensation humans can gain from an art form. Additionally, people who enjoy listening to sad music score high on empathy aptitude tests. Similar to reading books, listening to deeply emotional songs can be therapeutic for audience members and make them better, more understanding people who have perspective on life’s events.

Because of the effects sad songs can have on a person’s mood, emotional stability and ability to understand people and feelings, I think people should take Keats’ advice and listen to sad songs more often, because without confronting and adequately feeling melancholic emotions, people can’t truly and satisfactorily experience the extent of happiness.