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Crying to Your Favorite Sad Songs Is Good for You


Crying is a great way to let out all your pent up emotions and, according to a new study, boost your mood considerably. All you need is a sad song that gets the tears flowing.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, suggests making yourself cry to a sad song is a useful way to calm yourself and feel real good. According to researchers Kazuma Mori and Makoto Iwanaga, participants found the experience of shedding a tear to sad tunes as being a combination of sadness, pleasure, and psychophysiologically calming. If you’ve ever balled your eyes out to a sad movie or something you probably know the feeling. The emotions are real, and it’s hard to deal in the moment, but you come out the other side feeling like a pressure has been released.

The key is to find a song that always seems to give you a lump in your throat and consistently gets your eyes glistening. The research says songs that give you goose bumps and chills won’t necessarily cut it since they are generally perceived as being both happy and sad. You need a tune that leans more toward sad and really cranks up the waterworks. Better yet, do what I did and make a whole playlist of songs that really stir up your emotions.

If you’re having a stressful week, disappear somewhere, pop on some headphones, and let the music hit you right in the heart. Think of all those tears rolling down your cheeks as an emotional sneeze. Once it’s all out you’ll be able to get back to your day feeling a whole lot better. Gesundheit!