On the Enjoyment of Sad Music: Pleasurable Compassion Theory and the Role of Trait Empathy

Drawing on recent empirical studies on the enjoyment of nominally sad music, a general theory of the pleasure of tragic or sad portrayals is presented. Not all listeners enjoy sad music. Multiple studies indicate that those individuals who enjoy sad music exhibit a particular pattern of empathic tra...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: David Huron, Jonna K. Vuoskoski
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01060/full