After the Breakup, Change Up Your Playlist To Put On A Happy Face

What do Lucinda Williams’ Essence, Annie Lennox’s "Bare" and Steely Dan’s "Everything Must Go," have in common?  They're all breakup CDs that came out roughly around the time of my divorce.  Perhaps gray skies were gonna clear up, but in the meantime, I had to have them.  I’m not even sure I knew why when I bought them.  Warren Zevon’s "The Wind" is not a breakup CD, unless you count the fact that he was dying, kind of a breakup with the universe. I had to have that one too. As we know, music has charms to soothe the savage breast. We also know that misery loves company, not just plain old company, but miserable company. If we put it all together, we can understand more about music's effect on our mood.

At the time I didn't know that there was research to back up my preference. A recent study shows that people prefer sad music when they've experienced an interpersonal loss. The sad music may actually help people cope by providing a substitute for the loss, kind of like a companion. Hanging with Lucinda was all about having someone who could really feel my pain.

If only it were that simple. Read more here...