BBC随身英语｜为什么悲伤的音乐能治愈心灵？

Why sad music heals our hearts

What would life be like without music? Songs and tunes fill our lives, affecting our emotions, bringing back memories and sometimes making us dance. There is a song for everyone and for every occasion, but it seems that it's sad music that moves us most.

Sad music certainly does its job in making us depressed, emotional, and causing us to sob – it's something we might listen to after a break-up, for example. And a recent study has shown why some people are hooked on sad music. Professor David Huron from Ohio State University conducted the research and looked at the difference between people who love to listen to sad music and those who can't stand it.

He told the BBC radio programme The Why Factor that it comes down to a natural hormone called prolactin. He says: "as you might have guessed from the name, it's associated with 'lactation' from breast-feeding. When people cry, they also release prolactin. And, there are circumstances in which prolactin seems to have this comforting effect."

It seems that people who like sad music are maybe getting too much prolactin, or more than is normal, and when they hear sad, downbeat music, it gives them a good feeling. But if prolactin isn't released, or there isn't enough of it, some people find that sad sounds don't help to cheer them up.

Previous research by Durham University has also suggested that listening to sad music can trigger pain and sadness; but it can also provide comfort and even enjoyment. A high number of people they surveyed were cheered up by listening to supposedly sad songs. Though the feeling may not be exactly the same as happiness, it may be the ability to cope with the sadness that gives the feeling of comfort.

So, reacting to sad music on the radio may have nothing to do with the melancholic sound of a string quartet or a singer who's got the blues, but rather a natural chemical reaction taking place in our bodies. Maybe that explanation is music to your ears if you're wondering why you've be listening to Adele on repeat!

词汇表
tune [tjuːn] 曲调，旋律
move [muːv] 打动，触动（情感）
depressed [dɪˈprest] 情绪低落的，沮丧的
sob [sɒb] 抽泣，呜咽
be hooked on [hʊkt] 对…上瘾，着迷于
come down to 归结为，本质上是
hormone [ˈhɔːməʊn] 荷尔蒙，激素
prolactin [prəʊˈlæktɪn] 催乳素
lactation [lækˈteɪʃn] 泌乳，哺乳
breast-feeding [ˈbrest fiːdɪŋ] 母乳喂养，哺乳
comforting [ˈkʌmfətɪŋ] 令人安慰的，使人宽心的
downbeat [ˈdaʊnbiːt] 低调的，悲观的
supposedly [səˈpəʊzɪdli] 据称，据说
melancholic [ˌmelənˈkɒlɪk] 忧郁的，悲伤的
string quartet [strɪŋ kwɔːˈtet] 弦乐四重奏
the blues [bluːz] 蓝调音乐；忧郁，沮丧
music to your ears 好消息，中听的话
on repeat [rɪˈpiːt] （音乐、视频等）循环播放

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