Juan David Ladino Cardenas

Professor Deby Jizi

UWRIT 1103-036
November 27, 2015
Why so Sad?
A Study on Depressing Trends in Modern Music
One morning, sometime last March, I woke up to find a total of forty four texts and five
missed calls on my phone. All from the same individual whom well refer to as Haleigh.
Granted, I was deathly late for class so Haleighs communication barrage was rather justified.
See, Haleigh and I had a bit of a tradition to kick off the day. Wed arrive up to an hour early to
school and wed sit in her car, sometimes smoke a menthol or two, and jam out to Eminem,
Third Eye Blind, Nirvana, even Stevie Nicks every once and a while. We would talk about life,
family, and all the good deep stuff that for legal reasons you should never directly mention in a
writing assignment. Then the bell would ring, and wed haul ass to make it in time before we
earned ourselves another round of afterschool detentions. This March day, when I ran into her in
the hallway she was livid, albeit relieved to see me. What caught me off guard was how
dependent on my presence she was to be okay. She was not, and still isnt, someone who enjoys
spontaneity or change. My presence in her life had become a constant, and she learned to grow
around that. I think people learn to be comfortable with and indeed dependent on people who
walk through hell with them. I think companionship makes lifes low ends bearable. This March
day, Haleigh had been three months clean of any drugs, except for a new round of
antidepressants that didnt quite seem to do the trick. Still, it had been months since her last
suicide attempt and she seemed to be doing better, despite bulimic behavior. I could deal with all

of her pain. I learned to be strong enough for the two of us. What worried me still about Haleigh
was her insistence on a particular music selection. That being, the most depressing songs youd
ever find yourself listening to. I tried to wrap my head around why, given how close to home
some of these songs were hitting, she kept going back to them. Why surround yourself in this
kind of bad mojo? You know? This chilly March morning, it hit me that these songs were as
much a companion to her as I was. How do I even begin to wrap my mind around that? What is
the massive appeal of these songs to Haleigh?
Think in the last year how many songs have been released that were about how happy the
artist was? I can literally only think of one, the aptly named Happy by Pharrell Williams. In stark
contrast, the incredibly sad 25 by Adele is quickly on its way to become the bestselling album of
recent memory. I am willing to bet Haleighs obsession with all things beautiful, sad, and tragic
mirrors a sort of societal trend (even if not to such extreme). Indeed, many of the musicians
already named had massive fan bases during their tenure. If that is the case, then why are they so
popular? But specifically, what does this really say about us as a society? One that seems
continually at war and obsessed with itself like some horrid game of genuine love and utter,
unmitigated hatred.
This research question can be broken down into several subtopics. Most notably, it can be
approached from a societal and individual level. Ideally, if a thesis can answer this question on
an individual level, then it might help explain trends on a societal level. And so, one must work
form bottom up. Thankfully, a considerable amount of literature already exists on these particular
set of topics. Studies conducted on depression are varied and vast, but very few have focus
specifically on a quantifiable relationship between music and depression. One dissertation
stemming from Arizona State University, The Use of Short-term Group Music Therapy for

Female College Students with Depression and Anxiety by Barbara Ashton, does two things
adeptly. Firstly it identifies college students, female freshmen students in particular, a not
insignificant part of the population under study, as disproportionately suffering from varying
degrees of depression. These symptoms however seemed to improve after short term music
therapy. This study said nothing on long term treatment nor did it say anything in regards to the
specific music being used in therapy. But for the purposes of this inquiry project it essentially
establishes a worthwhile relationship between music and mood on the individual level. Similar
findings are found in The Effect of Music on Power, Pain, Depression, and Disability: A Clinical
Trial a dissertation by Sandra Seidlecki from Case Western University. In this case, music is used
as a therapeutic tool to treat physical pain stemming from feelings of worthlessness and
powerlessness. The relationship observed in this study closely mirrors those observed in the
Ashton dissertation. A study conducted in 2011, Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to
Determine Media Use by Individuals With and Without Major Depressive Disorder, conducted
by a team led by Dr. Brian Primack, essentially concludes that individuals suffering from major
depressive disorder tend to disproportionately listen to more music that those whom do not suffer
from those same issues. In a vastly different study, Malcolm James looks at the popularity of
what can be termed problem music in Nihilism and Multiculture in Outer East London, a
subsection of his dissertation for the London School of Sociology and Economics. He concludes
that the prevailing socioeconomic conditions of a population can affect what music will become
most popular among that population. In particular he notes that the nihilistic style music that is
popular in East London is similar to the similarly toned musical tastes of disenfranchised
American communities such as Compton and the South Bronx. A correlation between
socioeconomic status and affinity towards nihilism seems likely. This idea is repeated in Music

and Suicidality: A Quantitative Review and Extension, a study led by Professor Steven Stack
Ph.D, from the University of Michigan, which tries to correlate feelings of self-harm and suicide
to depressive songs. Although the findings were non-conclusive, it is noted that the populations
which may have been most interesting to study, musical subgroups such as emo, goth etc. were
unable to be sampled given current methods due to an inability to respond aggravated by
socioeconomic conditions experienced by members of those groups.
While the literature surrounding these topics is extensive, there is little that pulls the
studies together in the fashion that is relevant for this inquiry paper. But several themes recur.
For example, the idea that socioeconomic condition plays a role in music and depression. Im
willing to bet that this trend goes beyond the sphere of survey and sampling analysis. The
average college freshman for example has already been identified as a typical sufferer of mental
health issues. What does a college freshman have in common with a member of a societally
disenfranchised group? Both will face similar stresses with regards to money and status. While
the freshman typically has parents whom might bail them out, thus removing the existential
stress, they will still be short on money in comparison to some peers and are put under a different
set of stresses related to their social and school lives. This isnt to say that the broke are
depressed and vice versa. Haleighs family for example was very well off. But simply that
economic stress does little to mitigate emotional situations. With regards to music, we see a trend
towards songs in which the artist can relate to the listener economically. Listen to Eminem for a
few days, and youll be hard pressed not to hear about how his youth and early adult life was
plagued by economic stresses.
Another idea that resurfaces over the course of this research is the concept of
companionship. The Ashton dissertation for example noted how the females whom participated

in the experimental group of that study continued to rely on each other for support long after the
experiment had run its course. The population group studied by James, residents of East London,
arent quite known for their charming and welcoming nature. The Stack study notes that a lack of
participation in group, and especially religious activities, tends to demonstrate a higher
propensity for suicidal behavior. Indeed, even Haleighs own anxiety experiences after an
unexpected and momentary loss of my companionship are indicative of an inner need for
companionship and to be understood and fulfilled. A society which is increasingly solitary and
lacking in real human to human interactions given the rise of social media can understandably be
craving a companion who might understand it. In the same way I am a companion to Haleigh, so
is Kurt Cobain, Adele, Jimi Hendrix. And by this I mean that Haleigh can relate to those artists in
the same way that she and I can relate to each other. Kurt Cobain and Eminem feel her same pain
and so she feels understood. Their music takes on the role of companionship when I am not
available to her. This might be the crux of the matter. That a society that wants someone by their
side who can feel their pain but that friend is rarely if ever existent. Hence the attachment to the
artists that they can relate to. Hence the attachment to the people that they can relate to. It
suddenly paints a saddening and suddenly maddening picture of the state of the world. The sad
lyricism of Tove Lo is now commonplace and truly standout is any song that pretends to be,
simply Happy.
There are so many questions yet to be answered. My old Theology professor, a funny
little bald man with a majestic beard to boot, might urge me to ask; How did we let society
become the way it is?; Why is the world broken?; Why are we so morbidly curious? He
would do so in an attempt to steer me down the reasoning Well because the world needs Jesus!

and maybe that might be the answer. Perhaps not. Still, theres no reason why we shouldnt
consider those questions. The Answers be damned.
Dylans Response-1. Why are sad songs more popular than happy ones?
2. Sad songs give people a companion and someone to relate to when
they really dont have a real person to be that for them.
3. Socioeconomic status has an effect on the happiness of people. I
have been around people that have only wanted money, but for the most part, I
was taught that money was not the key to happiness. The key is the people you
spend life with.
Russells Response
1. The question is trying to find out if there is any correlation
between sad songs and depression.
2. The main point is trying to find evidence of the correlation
between sad songs and depression.
3. What I have learned from this is that there are some short term
effects to listening to sad music and it may make you depressed but not very many
long term effects to listening to sad music though.

Rickys Reponse:
1. What is the relationship between music and depression?
2. The main point is trying to understand the connection between
music and emotions. Also, the connection between the listener and the artist. This
idea of there being a companionship between the two.
3. Ive heard of this issue in the past and the different arguments that
the music you listen to will cause you to act a certain way. What I have not heard

of before this paper was why people thought that or any evidence supporting their
argument. The studies on groups were especially interesting because it discovered
connections among different demographics.