Why do depressed people prefer sad music?

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Affective Science

Background:

• Persistent sadness is a key symptom of major depressive disorder (MDD).
• Previous research suggested individuals with MDD might prefer sad stimuli as a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy.
• The motivation behind music preference in MDD requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate music preferences in individuals with MDD compared to healthy controls (HC).
• To explore the reasons behind music choices in both groups.
• To examine whether MDD is associated with a preference for sad music and if this preference serves to upregulate sadness.

Main Methods:

• A replication of Millgram et al.'s (2015) music task involving choices between happy, neutral, and sad music excerpts.
• A novel Emotional Music Selection Task (EMST) using paired-choice trials with music varying in emotion and energy.
• Assessment of music preferences and reasons for choice in 76 female participants (38 with MDD, 38 HC).

Main Results:

• Participants with MDD were more likely to select sad music in the replication task.
• Individuals with MDD reported choosing sad music due to its low energy and relaxing qualities, not to enhance sadness.
• The EMST confirmed a stronger preference for low-energy and sad music in the MDD group compared to HC.

Conclusions:

• The preference for sad music in major depressive disorder may stem from its calming effects rather than a desire to prolong sad feelings.
• This finding challenges the notion of maladaptive emotion regulation through sadness upregulation in MDD.
• Music choice in MDD appears to be influenced by energy level and relaxation properties, indicating a nuanced approach to emotion regulation.