source：psychologytoday丨by Krystine I. Batcho Ph.D.
译者：陈雪梅
The popular belief that a song can be so sad that it can trigger suicide has a long history. Written in 1933 by Hungarian composer Seress and lyricist Janvor, Gloomy Sunday tells of the despondency of a grieving lover: “my Sundays have been forever sad, tears my only drink. This last Sunday, . . . flowers and a coffin under the blossoming trees, it will be my last journey.” The song was believed to have spurred so many acts of despair that it became known as the “Hungarian suicide song,” and was removed from playlists by many radio stations. In 1936, The New York Times reported the suicide of a 13-year-old boy, found with the lyrics of Gloomy Sunday in his pocket. The Times also reported the suicide of a college senior who had told fellow students he was going to memorize the Gloomy Sunday lyrics and end his life on a gloomy Sunday. Seress ended his own life shortly after his 69th birthday. In the later years of his career he had complained that the success of the song had increased his unhappiness, because he knew he would never be able to write another song its equal.
长期以来，人们认为悲伤的歌会引发自杀。1933年，由匈牙利作曲家Seress作曲，作词家Janvor填词的《黑色星期天》讲述了一个悲伤的恋人的绝望故事：“我的星期天是永恒的绝望，只有泪水为伴。最后一个星期天，……盛开的树下，埋葬着鲜花和棺木，这就是我最后的旅程。”由于这首歌曲流露出了摄人心魄的绝望之情，很多人在听完了它之后选择结束自己的生命，所以这支歌被冠以“匈牙利自杀之歌”的称号，许多音乐电台都将这首歌拉入了黑名单。1936年，《纽约时报》报道，一名13岁的小男孩结束了自己的生命，人们后来在他的口袋里发现了《黑色星期天》的歌词。《泰晤士报》也报道，一名大四的学生告诉他的学弟学妹们，他将记住《黑色星期天》的歌词，并在某个绝望的星期天结束自己的生命。Seress在69岁生日不久后结束了自己的生命。在他事业生涯的后期，他曾抱怨《黑色星期天》的成功让他越发不快乐了，因为他知道他再也无法创作出与《黑色星期天》旗鼓相当的歌曲了。
Suicidal connections to lyrics are not limited to a particular culture or musical genre. In 2008, a British farm worker ended his life, leaving references to the lyrics of the song Epiphany by American rock band Staind. On May 4, 2000, Mr. Barnes found his 17-year old son Greg hanging in their garage two weeks after the first anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings. A CD repeatedly played Adam’s Song by Blink 182: “I never thought I’d die alone. I laughed the loudest who’d have known?” With no note left to explain, those who knew and loved Greg could only wonder why a popular basketball player would take his life. Some scrutinized the song lyrics for clues: “I’m too depressed to go on.” Others noted that Greg had escaped the Columbine shootings without injury, but had witnessed coach Dave Sanders die, had lost his close friend Matthew Kechter, and had recently broken up with his girlfriend. The local County Sheriff John Stone disclosed that 12 years earlier, his 15-year-old son, an accomplished athlete, was listening to a similar song when he had taken his life by hanging.
自杀与歌词之间的关联并不仅仅局限于特定的风俗或音乐流派。2008年，一名英国的农民自杀了，并留下了由美国摇滚乐队Staind创作的歌曲《Epiphany》的歌词。2000年5月4日，也就是哥伦比亚中学枪击事件第一个纪念日的两周后，Barnes先生发现自己17岁的儿子Greg在自家的车库上吊自杀了，并且车库里一直单曲循环Adam的歌《by Blink 182》：“我从未想过，自己会孤单地死去，我欢笑的声音，会有谁知道? ” Greg并未留下任何遗言，那些认识并喜爱他的人想不通为什么这么受欢迎的一个篮球运动员会选择自杀。一些人试图从歌词中寻找蛛丝马迹：“我太绝望了，已经无法继续了”。其他的人认为Greg虽然成功躲避了枪击，但是他亲眼目睹了教练Dave Sanders地死亡，同时他失去了自己的好友Matthew Kechter，近期又和女朋友分手了。当地市县的Sheriff John Stone透露早在12年前，他15岁的儿子——一名出色的运动员，也是在听一首类似的歌时上吊自杀了。
Isolated cases do not constitute evidence for a relationship between music and depression so serious it can result in suicide. However, the belief in a connection persists, in part because a hypothesized causal link cannot and should not be tested experimentally. More importantly, the emotional power of music has been assumed to be self-evident. While many theorists have agreed that listening to sad music makes people sad, others have argued that few people claim that listening to sad music makes them sad, and that those who report being saddened are mistaken.
虽然孤立的几个案例并不能证明悲伤的音乐和自杀之间的联系，但是，人们却坚信两者之间是有关联的，一部分是因为假设性的因果关系不能也不应该用实验证明。而且更重要的是，音乐的情感力量是不言而喻的。虽然很多理论家认为听悲伤的音乐会让人伤心，但是也有一部分理论家，声称听悲伤的音乐能让自己伤心的人少之又少，那些说会变伤心的报道是错误的。
Paradoxically, people can be attracted to music that evokes sadness. Scrutiny of Billboard’s list of No. 1 songs (link is external) from 1958 through 2013 reveals the dominant popularity of upbeat, happy music over sad, depressing songs. However, some sad songs topped the chart for their genre, such as Letter Edged in Black, He Stopped Loving Her Today, and Concrete Angel.
矛盾的是，人们会被悲伤的音乐吸引。1958-2013年间，位居公告牌（Billboard）榜首的歌曲主要是乐观、快乐的音乐，也有极少数伤感的歌因为风格的突破而登上榜首的，例如《Letter Edged in Black》，《He Stopped Loving Her Today》，《Concrete Angel》。
Why people like music that makes them sad is complex. Although there is no absolute consensus, research has shed light on why people can be attracted to sad songs.
人们喜欢悲伤音乐的原因是复杂多样的，虽然没有完全达成一致，但是研究者揭示了人们喜欢悲伤音乐的一些原因：
1. A beautiful melancholy song can be appreciated for its aesthetic value as a vehicle for artistic expression. One theory posits that when negative emotions are activated in an aesthetic context, a dissociation mechanism is triggered that inhibits the associated displeasure reactions.
1 一首优美的忧郁之歌的鉴赏价值主要体现在它的美学价值——作为一种艺术表现的载体。一种理论认为，当负面情绪在审美语境中激活，抑制相关不满反应的解离激励将被触发。
2. The listener recognizes the distinction between his or her own reality and that portrayed in the song. This differentiation allows the listener to experience the negative emotion in a safe venue without being invested in or committed to any consequence or behavioral response.
2 听者能够区分现实和歌曲所描绘的景象之间的区别。两者的区别能够确保听者在安全的区域感受悲伤的音乐，不会受音乐牵制或者犯傻事儿。
3. Releasing his or her own sadness in a clearly articulated and aesthetically elegant expression, a listener can hope for cathartic relief.
3 听者可以在一个表达清晰、美观优雅的语境中释放自己的悲伤，以此获得救赎。
4. By encouraging reflection, sad songs can help a listener use positive reappraisal to problem solve and enhance personal growth.
4 悲伤的歌曲鼓励反思，以此帮助听者积极地评价问题的解决方式，从而提升自己。
5. Sad songs can distract a listener from his or her actual problems or help put those difficulties in perspective. Comparing one’s manageable hassles to a song’s more traumatic content can remind the listener that others have faced far worse.
5 悲伤的歌能够将听者从现实问题中解救出来，或有助于克服困难。将现有的麻烦与歌曲中更加悲伤的内容相比，听者会觉得还有人比自己更惨。
6. Along with sadness, melancholy music can elicit positive emotions such as compassion and empathy. Such soft emotions can prompt a listener to prosocial, altruistic action that brings its own intrinsic satisfaction.
6 伴随着悲伤的忧郁音乐能够激发积极的情绪，如怜悯、同情。这样柔软的情绪会促使听者做些有利社会、无私奉献的事情，以此获得内在的满足。
The greater popularity of happy music raises instructive questions such as: Who is likely to be attracted to sad music? When are people attracted to sad music? Some people are more attracted to sad songs, and people find sad songs more appealing when they are in certain moods or in particular circumstances. Research suggests that people with a propensity to absorption were more likely to enjoy negative emotions in music. Absorption is the ability to become deeply engaged in an experience with a narrowing of attention that lessens awareness of distracting internal states or external conditions. Absorption in music enables a listener to identify with the vocalist and the message expressed by the lyrics.
快乐音乐的越发流行引发了如下问题：谁会喜欢伤感音乐？人们会在何时喜欢伤感音乐？有些人更喜欢伤感音乐，人们发现当他们处在特定的心情或特定的环境时，他们更喜欢伤感的音乐。研究发现，善于吸收的人更有可能喜欢悲伤的音乐。吸收是指一种缩小注意，减少内部或外部条件分心并深深投入某件事情的能力。对音乐的吸收使得听者认同歌手以及歌词所传达的信息。
Absorption is related to the ability to empathize with the vocalist and to experience vicariously the feelings expressed in a song. Some theorists suggest that listeners also may project their own emotions onto the music. Research has shown that people who possess greater musical empathy are more likely to enjoy listening to music that makes them feel sadness or grief. Consistent with the consensus that music can evoke powerful emotional responses, listening to a sad song can make most people sad, even people who expect that sad music will make them feel better by providing catharsis, the opportunity to work through sadness, or the knowledge that other people have also had such feelings.
吸收是与歌手以及歌曲传达的感情产生共鸣的能力相关的。一些理论家建议听者可以将自己的情绪倾注于歌曲上。研究还发现，越能和音乐产生共鸣的人就越喜欢听悲伤的音乐。与能唤起强烈情感反应的歌曲产生共鸣，光是听一首悲伤的歌就能让绝大多数的人感到伤心，甚至会有人在听悲伤音乐之时，通过情感的发泄，走出悲伤或者认知到还有人也有同样糟糕的心情后，他们的心情反而更好了。
For most people, the sadness evoked by music is transient and often accompanied by other uplifting or inspirational benefits. There is less research, however, on the impact of sad music on people who are already depressed or are going through an especially painful time. People who are sad are more likely to be attracted to sad music. Sometimes they hope to lessen their emotional burden by sharing it with others who have been through similar experiences. While it can’t erase the sorrow or grief, a sad song can help a listener feel less alone. It can lend meaning to an otherwise meaningless misfortune or loss.
对于大多数人来说，音乐唤起的悲伤是短暂的，并且它通常伴随着其它令人振奋或鼓舞人心的好处。虽然，很少有人去研究悲伤音乐对绝望的人或者正遭受痛苦的人的影响，但是伤心的人更易被悲伤的音乐所吸引。有时，他们希望通过和有相同经历的人分享来缓解自己的情绪负担。伤心的歌曲虽然不能消除悲伤，但它能让听者感到不再那么孤单，它为不幸或失去带来了新的生机。
There is inadequate research, though, on the long-term impact of sad music on mood. Some who are depressed can become trapped in a downhill spiral of mood dependency. Attracted to sad music, a depressed person can become even sadder and caught in a loop of seeking out the musical sadness they begin to feel at home with. People who lack social support or healthy coping strategies have fewer avenues for interrupting the cycle of sadness. The risk of habitual seeking of music that reinforces sadness is especially troublesome for people prone to rumination, the tendency to recurrent thinking about their engagement in past adversities, losses, or injustices. People who tend to ruminate often reevaluate their actions, especially in situations they deem embarrassing, disappointing, or involving argument or conflict. Research suggests that people with a high propensity to rumination are more sensitive to the sadness evoked by melancholy music.
然而，关于伤心音乐对情绪的长期影响的研究并不充分。一些绝望的人的情绪可能会走下坡路。绝望的人如果沉迷于悲伤的音乐，他可能会变得更加的伤心，不断地单曲循环找寻音乐中的伤感情绪，这会让他们有种宾至如归的感觉。缺乏社会支持或对健康问题应对策略的人很难突破悲伤的怪圈。如果习惯性寻求加强悲伤的音乐，那么它带来的风险对于那些喜欢沉思、喜欢反复思考过去的厄运、失去或不公平的人尤为大。喜欢反复思考的人通常会不断重新评估自己的行为，特别是那些让他们感到尴尬、沮丧或者包含争论、冲突的行为。研究认为喜欢反复思考的人对忧郁歌曲唤起的悲情情绪更为敏感。
Those who are suffering chronic depression or struggling through grief or trauma can lessen the risk of deepening sadness by balancing the emotionality and sequence of their playlists. Rather than focusing solely on the negative, reflecting on the meaning in adversity and pursuing personal growth through prosocial outreach can protect a sense of hope. Remaining engaged within a social community is important to avoid loneliness. Although music can be appreciated as a solitary pleasure, sharing musical experience with others enhances its positive impact. Extending the musical experience beyond the presence of friends and relatives is easier than ever now with access to social media. Rather than allowing the music to control us, we can harness the emotional power of sad music to energize healing, personal growth, and positive social engagement.
那些患有慢性抑郁症或挣扎在悲痛和创伤中的人可以通过平衡情绪和播放列表的顺序来减少加深悲伤的风险。与其只专注于负面情绪，不如反思逆境的意义，并通过亲社会的宣传获得自身的成长，这样会让人留有一线希望。参与社会团体活动可以减少人的孤独感。虽然鉴赏音乐是一种单独的乐趣，但是和别人分享音乐可以提高它的积极影响。由于社交媒体的发展，人们可以更方便地向亲人朋友分享音乐。与其被音乐控制，我们还不如利用悲伤音乐中的情感力量自愈自己、提升自己积极并融入社会。
