The experience of sadness is largely unpleasant, but when expressed through music, it can be pleasurable. Previous research has shown that an attraction to sad music is correlated with personality traits like empathy, Absorption, and rumination. However, the intricacies of the relationship between personality, situational factors, and reasons for engaging with sad music have yet to be fully explored. To address this, participants (N = 431) reported the situations in which they would listen to sad music and their motivations for doing so. Regularized regression models were employed to assess correlations between personality, situational, and motivational factors. Mediation models were used to determine if emotional responses mediated these associations. People who scored higher on Absorption, the Fantasy component of empathy, and rumination reported enjoying sad music. Absorption and Fantasy were associated with liking sad music because of its ability to regulate/enhance positive emotions. Rumination was associated with liking sad music in tense situations because it both strengthens positive and releases negative emotions. Our results further our understanding of reward responses to negative stimuli by highlighting the role of personality and situational factors. Such findings have implications for the development of interventions for mood disorders, in which music could be used as a tool to regulate emotions and re-engage the reward system.
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