Juan David Ladino Cardenas

Professor Deby Jizi

UWRIT 1103-036
November 27, 2015
Why so Sad?
A Study on Depressing Trends in Modern Music
One morning, sometime last March, I woke up to find a total of forty four texts and five
missed calls on my phone. All from the same individual whom well refer to as Haleigh.
Granted, I was deathly late for class so Haleighs communication barrage was rather justified.
See, Haleigh and I had a bit of a tradition to kick off the day. Wed arrive up to an hour early to
school and wed sit in her car, sometimes smoke a menthol or two, and jam out to Eminem,
Third Eye Blind, Nirvana, even Stevie Nicks every once and a while. We would talk about life,
family, and all the good deep stuff that for legal reasons you should never directly mention in a
writing assignment. Then the bell would ring, and wed haul ass to make it in time before we
earned ourselves another round of afterschool detentions. This March day, when I ran into her in
the hallway she was livid, albeit relieved to see me. What caught me off guard was how
dependent on my presence she was to be okay. She was not, and still isnt, someone who enjoys
spontaneity or change. My presence in her life had become a constant, and she learned to grow
around that. I think people learn to be comfortable with and indeed dependent on people who
walk through hell with them. I think companionship makes lifes low ends bearable. This March
day, Haleigh had been three months clean of any drugs, except for a new round of
antidepressants that didnt quite seem to do the trick. Still, it had been months since her last
suicide attempt and she seemed to be doing better, despite bulimic behavior. I could deal with all

of her pain. I learned to be strong enough for the two of us. What worried me still about Haleigh
was her insistence on a particular music selection. That being, the most depressing songs youd
ever find yourself listening to. I tried to wrap my head around why, given how close to home
some of these songs were hitting, she kept going back to them. Why surround yourself in this
kind of bad mojo? You know? This chilly March morning, it hit me that these songs were as
much a companion to her as I was. How do I even begin to wrap my mind around that? What is
the massive appeal of these songs to Haleigh?
Think in the last year how many songs have been released that were about how happy the
artist was? I can literally only think of one, the aptly named Happy by Pharrell Williams. In stark
contrast, the incredibly sad 25 by Adele is quickly on its way to become the bestselling album of
recent memory. I am willing to bet Haleighs obsession with all things beautiful, sad, and tragic
mirrors a sort of societal trend (even if not to such extreme). Indeed, many of the musicians
already named had massive fan bases during their tenure. If that is the case, then why are they so
popular? But specifically, what does this really say about us as a society? One that seems
continually at war and obsessed with itself like some horrid game of genuine love and utter,
unmitigated hatred.
This research question can be broken down into several subtopics. Most notably, it can be
approached from a societal and individual level. Ideally, if a thesis can answer this question on
an individual level, then it might help explain trends on a societal level. And so, one must work
form bottom up. Thankfully, a considerable amount of literature already exists on these particular
set of topics. Studies conducted on depression are varied and vast, but very few have focus
specifically on a quantifiable relationship between music and depression. One dissertation
stemming from Arizona State University, The Use of Short-term Group Music Therapy for

Female College Students with Depression and Anxiety by Barbara Ashton, does two things
adeptly. Firstly it identifies college students, female freshmen students in particular, a not
insignificant part of the population under study, as disproportionately suffering from varying
degrees of depression. These symptoms however seemed to improve after short term music
therapy. This study said nothing on long term treatment nor did it say anything in regards to the
specific music being used in therapy. But for the purposes of this inquiry project it essentially
establishes a worthwhile relationship between music and mood on the individual level. Similar
findings are found in The Effect of Music on Power, Pain, Depression, and Disability: A Clinical
Trial a dissertation by Sandra Seidlecki from Case Western University. In this case, music is used
as a therapeutic tool to treat physical pain stemming from feelings of worthlessness and
powerlessness. The relationship observed in this study closely mirrors those observed in the
Ashton dissertation. A study conducted in 2011, Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to
Determine Media Use by Individuals With and Without Major Depressive Disorder, conducted
by a team led by Dr. Brian Primack, essentially concludes that individuals suffering from major
depressive disorder tend to disproportionately listen to more music that those whom do not suffer
from those same issues. In a vastly different study, Malcolm James looks at the popularity of
what can be termed problem music in Nihilism and Multiculture in Outer East London, a
subsection of his dissertation for the London School of Sociology and Economics. He concludes
that the prevailing socioeconomic conditions of a population can affect what music will become
most popular among that population. In particular he notes that the nihilistic style music that is
popular in East London is similar to the similarly toned musical tastes of disenfranchised
American communities such as Compton and the South Bronx. A correlation between
socioeconomic status and affinity towards nihilism seems likely. This idea is repeated in Music

and Suicidality: A Quantitative Review and Extension, a study led by Professor Steven Stack
Ph.D, from the University of Michigan, which tries to correlate feelings of self-harm and suicide
to depressive songs. Although the findings were non-conclusive, it is noted that the populations
which may have been most interesting to study, musical subgroups such as emo, goth etc. were
unable to be sampled given current methods due to an inability to respond aggravated by
socioeconomic conditions experienced by members of those groups.
While the literature surrounding these topics is extensive, there is little that pulls the
studies together in the fashion that is relevant for this inquiry paper. But several themes recur.
For example, the idea that socioeconomic condition plays a role in music and depression. Im
willing to bet that this trend goes beyond the sphere of survey and sampling analysis. The
average college freshman for example has already been identified as a typical sufferer of mental
health issues. What does a college freshman have in common with a member of a societally
disenfranchised group? Both will face similar stresses with regards to money and status. While
the freshman typically has parents whom might bail them out, thus removing the existential
stress, they will still be short on money in comparison to some peers and are put under a different
set of stresses related to their social and school lives. This isnt to say that the broke are
depressed and vice versa. Haleighs family for example was very well off. But simply that
economic stress does little to mitigate emotional situations. With regards to music, we see a trend
towards songs in which the artist can relate to the listener economically. Listen to Eminem for a
few days, and youll be hard pressed not to hear about how his youth and early adult life was
plagued by economic stresses. This of course is not to say that money is required for happiness,
but rather that the stress of not having enough money is enough to take a psychological toll on
certain people. This, coupled with the fact that populations of lower socioeconomic status are

less likely to pursue help for mental health, is a recipe for disaster among at-risk population
groups.
Another idea that resurfaces over the course of this research is the concept of
companionship. The Ashton dissertation for example noted how the females whom participated
in the experimental group of that study continued to rely on each other for support long after the
experiment had run its course. The population group studied by James, residents of East London,
arent quite known for their charming and welcoming nature. The Stack study notes that a lack of
participation in group, and especially religious activities, tends to demonstrate a higher
propensity for suicidal behavior. Indeed, even Haleighs own anxiety experiences after an
unexpected and momentary loss of my companionship are indicative of an inner need for
companionship and to be understood and fulfilled. A society which is increasingly solitary and
lacking in real human to human interactions given the rise of social media can understandably be
craving a companion who might understand it. In the same way I am a companion to Haleigh, so
is Kurt Cobain, Adele, and Jimi Hendrix. And by this I mean that Haleigh can relate to those
artists in the same way that she and I can relate to each other. Kurt Cobain and Eminem feel her
same pain and so she feels understood. Their music takes on the role of companionship when I
am not available to her. This might be the crux of the matter. That a society that wants someone
by their side who can feel their pain but that friend is rarely if ever existent. Hence the
attachment to the artists that they can relate to. Hence the attachment to the people that they can
relate to. It suddenly paints a saddening and suddenly maddening picture of the state of the
world. The sad lyricism of Tove Lo is now commonplace and truly standout is any song that
pretends to be, simply Happy.

There are so many questions yet to be answered. My old Theology professor, a funny
little bald man with a majestic beard to boot, might urge me to ask; How did we let society
become the way it is?; Why is the world broken?; Why are we so morbidly curious? He
would do so in an attempt to steer me down the reasoning Well because the world needs
Jesus! and maybe that might be the answer. Perhaps not. Bless his heart, I think the world is far
more complex than that. Or perhaps it really isnt. Still, theres no reason why we shouldnt
consider those questions. The Answers be damned.
But as always, the answers might always be hidden from us regardless. I ran into Haleigh
a few weeks after having started writing this paper. A chance encounter at the mall put us within
conversation distance at an aisle in Spencers. Things change continuously. Circumstances never
remain the same. We had a recent falling out, one in the deepest sense. I did not expect her to
speak to me. True to form, she did not. I am invariably correct on these sort of this. She nodded
at me. She moved her blonde tresses away from her face, place headphones into her ears and
fixed her beanie back into place. I imagine the sound of Nirvana immediately filled her mind.
She smiled at me, in a way that we both understood that what we had together had run its course.
And that of course is no ones fault. I smiled back. For a moment my gut wrenched, wondering if
shed be okay now that she was completely and utterly alone. But then I considered, shed be
okay. She had Kurt Cobain to keep her company, and that might be the closest thing to a
soulmate shell ever have. All this time, I always worried for her, not knowing how Id manage
myself. I still really dont know. Im constantly running towards whatever might make sense.
Towards that seemingly inescapable truth which might bring me the peace of mind that I so
desire, always so slightly out of reach. I have no idea where Im headed. I honestly havent the
slightest clue. Neither does Haleigh. And she takes comfort in that, being a free spirit whom

knows shell always have her music. I take comfort in knowing the journey isnt over. That there
is always more to see, more to tackle, more to love, more to hate. In this infinite expanse, is it
even worth asking what is out there? Can I even begin to quantify the sum of all things I might
experience? How do I even begin to wrap my mind around the absurdly complex creatures that
are humans? Can I even answer my own research question? I sit here, at my so-called final draft
and I am left with more questions than when I began. Does any of this research have any value,
any worth at all if it answers absolutely nothing? Am I a stream fighting against the current of the
waterfall? Ill never know. And that is beautiful. Not knowing is beautiful. Not knowing is the
fullest expression of man unable to be more than himself. Not knowing is the fullest expression
of the limited capabilities of us mere mortals before the ocean that is Creation. Music is my futile
attempt to make sense of the singular thing that I could never comprehend. Myself. This is what
makes me invincible. That which cannot be understood cannot be defeated. In this sense, not
knowing is not a power in and of itself. Not knowing is what makes me human. Not knowing is
to be humble. To be one step closer to the truth. In that sense, I am one step one step ahead of
everyone else. Including myself.

Works Cited
Ashton, Barbara. The Use of Short-term Group Music Therapy for Female College Students with
Depression and Anxiety. Diss. Arizona State U, 2013. N.p.: n.p., 2013. Print.
James, Malcolm. "Nihilism and Urban Multiculture in Outer East London." The Sociological
Review 63.3 (2014): 699-719. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
Primack, Brian A., Jennifer S. Silk, Christian R. Delozier, William G. Shadel, Francesca R. Dillman
Carpentier, Ronald E. Dahl, and Galen E. Switzer. "Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to
Determine Media Use by Individuals With and Without Major Depressive Disorder." Arch
Pediatr Adolesc Med Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 165.4 (2011): n. pag. JAMA
[EBSCO]. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
Siedlecki, Sandra. The Effect of Music on Power, Pain, Depression, and Disability a Clinical Trial.
Diss. Case Western U, 2005. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Stack, Steven, David Lester, and Jonathan S. Rosenberg. "Music and Suicidality: A Quantitative
Review and Extension." Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 42.6 (2012): 654-71. Web. 10
Nov. 2015.