For the longest time, it was hard to explain why and how sad songs made me… happy.

“Happy” was the first word that came to mind as a descriptor for the peaceful, warm feelings inside. But how could it be “happy” when the singer was depicting their worst days that came with immeasurable pain?

Was there anything wrong with me for finding so much beauty and calm in someone else’s suffering?

Short answer: no.

Long answer, the one you might be interested in came from Susan Cain, the author of Quiet — “The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking”.

She was talking about difficult feelings. The ones that tear us apart and bring us down without any hope in sight. She was saying how extremely lonely we feel when we reach our worst.

But, she noted such moments are precisely the opposite of lonely. When you get to the dark night of the soul, you experience what being human truly means. And that’s exactly the feeling that unites us all.

In other words, you’ve never been more connected to others than in the moments when you feel loneliest.

Her video made me realize it’s not happiness, but connection I feel in sad songs.

What are some sad songs to listen to?

Post them in the comments if you feel like sharing.