Drowning in Sorrowful Comfort

A new study suggests listening to melancholy songs may actually make you less sad. Well, sometimes. In the study, people listened to music while in discomfort, and researchers found people who listened to bittersweet and moving songs felt less pain than when they listened to cheerful music. Just listen to the saddest song of all time, and see if you feel better.
“Melancholic thoughts are rooted in preference for days gone by, for memory and the sense that time is passing. These feelings, sad as they are, favor the soul's desire to be both in time and in eternity and so, in a strange way, they can be comforting.” – Thomas Moore, Care of the Soul
Affirmative prayer: Infinite Presence, I resist not the feelings of sorrow, anger, or sadness. I allow melancholy to instruct me in ways of living, to point me in the direction of renewed purpose and action. In my humanness, I give thanks for the full range of emotions and the incentives they provide. In my divinity, I center into the Source of life, and am comforted by my deep connection. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.

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