Did you ever wonder why you need to listen to Jackson Browne or Adele when you're feeling blue? Maybe you've known all along what science has recently measured…that sad songs can make us happy.

Sad music can amplify pain for some people, but provide comfort to others, according to new research looking at the effects of melancholy songs on the emotions.

Researchers at Durham University in the UK and the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, said their findings could have implications for how music therapy in rehabilitation could help people's moods.

They identified the reasons for listening to sad music, and emotions involved in memorable experiences related to listening to sad music.

Writing in the prestigious scientific journal PLOS ONE, the researchers said that the majority of people surveyed highlighted the enjoyable nature of such experiences, which in general lead to clear improvement of mood.

The researchers, funded by the Academy of Finland, said that listening to sad music led to feelings of pleasure related to enjoyment of the music in some people, or feelings of comfort where sad music evoked memories in others.

However, a significant portion of people also reported painful experiences associated with listening to sad music, which invariably related to personal loss such as the death of a loved one, divorce, breakup, or other significant adversity in life.

"Previous research in music psychology and film studies has emphasized the puzzling pleasure that people experience when engaging with tragic art," said lead researcher Professor Tuomas Eerola, Professor of Music Cognition in the Department of Music.

"However, there are people who absolutely hate sad-sounding music and avoid listening to it. In our research, we wanted to investigate this wide spectrum of experiences that people have with sad music, and find reasons for both listening to and avoiding that kind of music."

"The results help us to pinpoint the ways people regulate their mood with the help of music, as well as how music rehabilitation and music therapy might tap into these processes of comfort, relief, and enjoyment."

Study co-author Dr Henna-Riikka Peltola from the University of Jyväskylä, in Finland said sad music led to mixed emotions.

"Sad music is associated with a set of emotions that give comfort to the listener, and where memories and associations play a strong part of making the experience pleasant. These experiences were often mentioned to confer relief and companionship in difficult situations of life."

"However, a large number of people also associated sad music with painful experiences. Such intense experiences seemed to be mentally and even physically straining, and thus far from pleasurable.

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