Do you really want to know what we were doing on April 19? Listening to Taylor Swift's double-album release, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, of course.
Swift's latest synth-pop album, The Anthology, includes 31 new songs that have both fans and critics flipping through a dictionary, while experiencing emotional resonance through her masterful lyrics - inspired by the five stages of grief. While Swift has become one of the most famous singers and songwriters worldwide, some psychologists and cognitive scientists can't help but to question why we find comfort in listening to sad songs?
"Music isn't just a matter about making people feel good, it's about making them be aesthetically engaged," says Dr. Paul Thagard, cognitive scientist, full-time writer and distinguished professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Waterloo.
"What makes the sad songs so powerful for us is that they engage our emotions. Because we've all been sad for various reasons and [these songs] tap into that and reminds us [of our emotions], and in some cases, it can help us work through that."
