Melancholic music is poison for the brain

[Dür Ktulhu]

This post, like all of mine, is addressed to an adult audience -to those who have already lived through enough to understand how small habits can either lift us up or drown us in a swamp. I strongly urge you to get rid of all those gloomy, melancholic tracks that are clogging up your playlists right now, without delay. I mean those worn-out, dreary, dull, and meaningless tracks with their heroin-sedative wailing - this music evokes such deep disgust in me that I won't even name them, to avoid tainting this text with that filth. You already know them by heart: they echo from every corner. Don't you notice how that trash pushes you deeper into apathy, amplifying the already pervasive depression? It's like poison that slowly sours your mood, making every day gray and joyless. It's ironic that some say things like, "Oh, this song helped me through tough times" - when in reality, it was finishing them off, driving the person into even deeper depression and worsening the symptoms. Understand this: such music steals your energy; depressive tracks are voluntary poison.

Even the physiological effect of such music on the brain is akin to stress, suppressing dopamine. As a result, you feel even more tired and drained. Now imagine the opposite: you choose tracks that either soothe without plunging you into sorrow or energize you. In a calm mood, listen to something gentle like James Blunt or Tom Odell - clear, serene music that doesn't drown you in sadness or drag you into a pit.

And in all other cases-only cheerful music! Think of vintage classics or something similar. And over time, learn to listen to classical music. For me, for example, it's the band Peste Noire: pastoral, ballad-like. For you, it might be something else. Even in black metal, I choose what invigorates and provokes a positive anger. The key is to avoid anything that reminds you of pain, loss, or endless melancholy. Music is a tool for mental self-regulation. In times when stress from work, news, and daily life accumulates, music can become a true salvation. I've been through this myself. After switching to positive and calming tracks, I noticed how my energy returned, my motivation grew, and depressive thoughts retreated.

Try it for a week: delete all such music, create a new playlist, and track your mood. The results will surprise you. Please choose music that pulls you forward, not drags you down.

 

[sanctionedusage]

the adult audience acknowledges it aint black and white


that said, when a friend does show me their horrendous playlist and it's 58 minutes of songs that sound slowed down to .25x speed and moaning, breathy vocals, i sure do love telling them its "no wonder [you're] so fucking miserable." its not just sad, most of this music is just straight up swamp ass.

 

[lamy's sacred sleep]

Very Upbeat:


Calm Music:






Upbeat Music:




https://open.spotify.com/track/0auX6W6oLjO9cHmx4UTaNj
https://open.spotify.com/track/7rbECVPkY5UODxoOUVKZnA



REALLY UPBEAT MUSIC:

The Orion Experience - The Cult of Dionysus


Calm Music:
Sharou - 3:03 PM
Albums:
Laurindo Almeida - Classical Current
Nujabes - Modal Soul
Piglet - Lava Laurindo
gxrl on web - I Touched Grass Today.

Upbeat Music:
Pink Floyd - The Gnome
INOHA - Seventh Heaven
HUSSVRX - I LOVE YOU SO JUMPSTYLE
Michiru Yamane - In a Moment's Time
d4vd - Feel It
Kanye West - I wonder

 

[Lookingtoflyfree]

https://www.health.com/sad-music-can-boost-mental-health-7504004 - I prefer science :)

 

[lamy's sacred sleep]

https://www.health.com/sad-music-can-boost-mental-health-7504004 - I prefer science :)

https://philarchive.org/rec/ATTOTV

though anecdotally i agree with the point that sad music is something that just by virtue of speaking to me, cheers me up

Spoiler: The Passage From The Article In Question That I Anecdotally Agree With

Sad music can also make people feel connected in the same way a heartfelt conversation makes us feel connected, said Venkatesan. "It is very likely that the sense of connection we experience when listening to sad music has positive health benefits."

Some studies suggest that listening to sad music creates a feeling of "emotional communion" where you share feelings of sadness with the singer or composer. Venkatesan explained that in this case, listening to sad songs may act as a form of virtual contact which can help people feel accepted, understood, and less lonely.

She added that other studies suggest that listening to sad songs allows us to connect with ourselves and reflect on our own emotional experiences which can help with mood regulation.5

The Article does agree with OP, at least in my opinion.

Spoiler: Part that agrees with OP

Venkatesan noted that music, in general, has a profound effect on our brains and physiology and therefore can also impact our mood.
For example, some research suggests that relaxing music can decrease levels of salivary cortisol and psychological stress, which is an indicator of decreased stress and better regulation when responding to a stressor.
Bennett noted in the same way that a sad song might evoke a sad emotional state, there are ways to use music to evoke a positive emotional state. There are also ways that people can choose positive behaviors that might move them in the direction of positive emotion.

I just believe that OP is a bit too heavy handed in their approach.
One should listen to whatever music makes them happy no matter what other people say that music makes them feel.
That's my opinion at least, from personal experience.

When I'm happy, even after putting on a depressing song that I really like I'm still happy
but even when i'm not happy I can still put on that depressing song and for a different reason (that I relate to it) feel a bit better or at least distracted from myself.


Here's some sad music that cheers me up:
pierce the veil - A Match Into Water
Blade and Bath - Shot
wifiskeleton - Nope your too late i already died
The Rare Occasions - Notion
HIM - Join Me
overtonight - snow day.
awake after dark - floorboards
otuka - let me go
otuka - never enough
Rusty Cage - I'm Already Dead Inside and Will Wood - Memento Mori: the most important thing in the world (pretty similar message, you're gonna die so and that's ok - i'm tired, this might be wrong)

 

[Abort!]

I can't gaslight myself into being happy by playing a few upbeat tunes... it doesn't work like that for me. I'd rather listen to nothing at all in that case, and that's boring as hell. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[sizzlingfootnote]

you write well, remarkably well, almost as if you'd been reading good shit that was sometimes super gloomy and dark.

But hey, there's an endless flow of weird and dark music. I don't think you'll get anywehere promoting tiddlywinks

https://philarchive.org/rec/ATTOTV

View attachment 193104

though anecdotally i agree with the point that sad music is something that just by virtue of speaking to me, cheers me up

Spoiler: The Passage From The Article In Question That I Anecdotally Agree With

Sad music can also make people feel connected in the same way a heartfelt conversation makes us feel connected, said Venkatesan. "It is very likely that the sense of connection we experience when listening to sad music has positive health benefits."

Some studies suggest that listening to sad music creates a feeling of "emotional communion" where you share feelings of sadness with the singer or composer. Venkatesan explained that in this case, listening to sad songs may act as a form of virtual contact which can help people feel accepted, understood, and less lonely.

She added that other studies suggest that listening to sad songs allows us to connect with ourselves and reflect on our own emotional experiences which can help with mood regulation.5

The Article does agree with OP, at least in my opinion.

Spoiler: Part that agrees with OP

Venkatesan noted that music, in general, has a profound effect on our brains and physiology and therefore can also impact our mood.
For example, some research suggests that relaxing music can decrease levels of salivary cortisol and psychological stress, which is an indicator of decreased stress and better regulation when responding to a stressor.
Bennett noted in the same way that a sad song might evoke a sad emotional state, there are ways to use music to evoke a positive emotional state. There are also ways that people can choose positive behaviors that might move them in the direction of positive emotion.

I just believe that OP is a bit too heavy handed in their approach.
One should listen to whatever music makes them happy no matter what other people say that music makes them feel.
That's my opinion at least, from personal experience.

When I'm happy, even after putting on a depressing song that I really like I'm still happy
but even when i'm not happy I can still put on that depressing song and for a different reason (that I relate to it) feel a bit better or at least distracted from myself.


Here's some sad music that cheers me up:
pierce the veil - A Match Into Water
Blade and Bath - Shot
wifiskeleton - Nope your too late i already died
The Rare Occasions - Notion
HIM - Join Me
overtonight - snow day.
awake after dark - floorboards
otuka - let me go
otuka - never enough
Rusty Cage - I'm Already Dead Inside and Will Wood - Memento Mori: the most important thing in the world (pretty similar message, you're gonna die so and that's ok - i'm tired, this might be wrong)

i am old and i do not recognize any of that, so I appreciate your list, because i will devour that

 

[paperbaghat]

I don't know if this is applies to me, as I think listening to 'depressing music' helps me process my unpleasant emotions faster. Letting myself feel sad while listening to music is better than trying to suppress my feelings and stress about it not working.

 

[Dinorun]

I have noticed that my general mood is better when listening to positive playlist but when I drop, I drop hard and the "positive" music doesn't help, if anything it just makes me shut it down and sit in silence with myself

Also i find it a bit ironic that you care about the impact of music on your mental health while continuing to browse and be exposed this site which is at large a chamber of """"bad"""""/ sad influences / experiences and its effect isnt that much different from the music you are advising to avoid

 

[Dür Ktulhu]

Thank you for the comments. The adult audience is precisely those who understand that nothing is ever black and white, and I acknowledge that. The science cited in the comments is wonderful. Sad music can indeed provide a sense of "being understood," reduce isolation, and often benefits a balanced person. However, my post was somewhat misunderstood, its focus was blurred, and it was overgeneralized. There are two possibilities: either this was done unintentionally, and i can forgive that, or it was done deliberately by my detractors to create room for speculation and various interpretations. If you want war, such weak debating tools won't help you against me.

Yes, sad music is NOT ALWAYS EVIL, but when depression is deeply entrenched and thoughts constantly return to the same heavy experiences - when life feels like an endless quagmire - that same emotional closeness with such music can have the opposite effect: it amplifies the general feeling of hopelessness. A person finds confirmation of their darkest thoughts and feels, "Yes, this is exactly what I'm going through". The result is not an escape from the emotional pit but an even deeper plunge into it.

This is especially dangerous here, on Sanctioned Suicide: this is a place where people specifically share this state of chronic melancholy and despair. Sad tracks may not offer support but rather reinforce the feeling that there is no other way out.

My post is addressed specifically to the users of SaSu, where many are already in chronic depression or a phase of severe apathy. For them, such music only reinforces the negative cycle instead of breaking it. I don't see the point in citing such articles and abstractly projecting the described approach to music onto the average person, while this post was written for a specific platform, with a specific audience, and a specific focus - though I've already addressed this at the beginning.