Song lyrics help you cope with pain and loneliness

A team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem analyzed how people in different countries sought emotional support in music at the height of the pandemic. The focus was not on the melodies, but on the lyrics – the words in which people find a reflection of their own feelings.

More than 2,800 songs chosen by people from 11 countries during the first quarantine were studied for content. It turned out that people are intuitively drawn to themes that match their inner state. Songs about loss, life and death, soul or intimacy were most often chosen by those who were feeling sad, lonely or in need of a rethink.

If the listener wanted to distract themselves from pain, they chose songs with lyrics about breakup or loss. If it was necessary to feel a connection with others – songs with lyrics about friendship, belonging, acceptance were used. At the same time, musical characteristics – rhythm, harmony, tonality – were not decisive. It turned out that the soul responds to the meaning of words.

Researchers note that music has long been recognized as a means of emotional recovery, but lyrics are a separate, subtle layer of influence. It is they help to say what can not always be expressed in words – pain, memory, hope. This understanding may change the approach to psychological help, music therapy and even algorithms of recommendations in streaming services.