The Secret of Why Certain Songs Make Us Cry
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 8:42AM
For most people, the art of making music is a mystery. What is it about song that engenders a strong emotional response in the listener?
This is a good puzzle for boffins who study the brain. Our response to music provides insight into how the chemicals and electrical pathways in our heads work.
Take Adele's song, "Someone Like You," for example. What is it about the track that resonates so strongly with so many people? Can the song and her performance be dissected in a scientific way to tell us why?
Apparently so. And it's fascinating.
The answer lies in something called an appoggiatura. That's not a part of your brain; it's a musical device that, up until now, I'd never heard of. From the Wall Street Journal:
An appoggiatura is a type of ornamental note that clashes with the melody just enough to create a dissonant sound. "This generates tension in the listener," said Martin Guhn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia who co-wrote a 2007 study on the subject. "When the notes return to the anticipated melody, the tension resolves, and it feels good."
Chills often descend on listeners at these moments of resolution. When several appoggiaturas occur next to each other in a melody, it generates a cycle of tension and release. This provokes an even stronger reaction, and that is when the tears start to flow.
Read the whole article here. And once you're done, give a listen to the song and see if you can hear/feel the appoggiaturas.
Reader Comments (1)
Sorry Alan, but all I could think of while reading this post was the SNL skit in which everyone (including Coldplay) starts crying when the Adele song is played. Who knew it was fact-based!