FINDING HARMONY

The power of music to alleviate personal grief is tangible.

In 2020, musicians from around the world living in China recorded a cover of the song You Are Not Alone on video, which went viral. Recently researchers at the Institut de Neurociències in Spain conducted a study analysing why the video and song had such a profound effect.

Lead researcher Dr Lydia Giménez-Llort explains the objective of this study was to identify the specific traits that allow empathising so well with those experiencing personal and collective grief and to evaluate individual and social resilience tools.

Positive psychology, music and songwriting are all important non-pharmacological strategies that can be of great value in regulating emotions and thoughts, particularly in moments of grief, sorrow and difficulties. “They made a cover of a ballad, a type of romantic song asking a question in one verse and answering it in the next. You Are Not Alone describes the incomprehension of someone who has lost their loved one and who, as the days go by, feels the unbearable weight of solitude, despite being surrounded by people,” says Dr Giménez-Llort.

With regard to the lyrics, the researchers were able to identify elements of typical mourning processes, such as the five stages described by Kübler-Ross (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance), the dual process model by Stroebe and Schut (switching back and forth between two modes of being, loss-oriented and restoration-oriented), and Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of human development (redimensioning individual experiences into social ones). “This study showcases the role of music and other art forms, which through our emotional and social brains can help us cope individually and collectively with sudden and dramatic situations, thereby alleviating physical distance and human suffering, and reaching beyond any cultural barriers,” says Dr Giménez-Llort.