Music’s Magical Mending

The idea of a broken heart is one too common amongst humanity, and there isn’t that one way to fix one. Among today’s population, more than 80% of people will go through a heart break at one point in their life, and it’s estimated that around 15% of people who go through heartbreak don’t recover psychologically (McBain 14). Love influences your body, regulating and producing hormones, dealing with stress, and much more. Love is the pinnacle of emotion, and it can shatter one’s sense of self. On the other hand, it can also be the most beautiful thing on earth. Everyone remembers that one song. That one person. Maybe there are a lot of those. Music can bring serenity to one’s day, and can help you get through it as you bob your head to its melodies. Then one day that song starts to sound dim. Maybe that song has become unbearable. Now it’s become too hard to listen to, sparking too many memories… Many people who go through heartbreak have trouble picking themselves back up. Maybe nothing’s working. What about new music? What comes to mind when the word “beautiful” is used to describe music? What about when asked about sad music? Listening to music can allow for people to mend the biological wounds of heartbreak through its magical melodies. The goal for this article is to demonstrate that a method that may be thought silly, or too good to be true, can actually benefit you in ways unheard of.

First of all, no matter what anyone says, everyone goes through heartbreak. According to a study done in 2020, about four out of five people reportedly went through heartbreak at one point in their life (“…Causes of Heartbreak”). Another finding from this article is that the average age, amongst those tested, at which people went through heartbreak was around age 20. One of the most common groups around this age are college students. Younger generations are especially vulnerable, and the effects of a heartbreak are monumental on human development. It can cause struggles in motivation to do one’s work, or even get up in the morning.

Pausing there, when one feels the sensation of love, these feelings stem from your brain via, “…hormonal releases and brain chemicals are triggered. Dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin are some of the key neurotransmitters…” (“The Science of Love”). Dr. Lapping-Carr describes that these compounds are released into your brain, and this is what leads to that euphoric or satisfactory feeling when with someone. When this feeling happens constantly, and the source of the feeling is suddenly ripped away, your body will treat that loss like any other, and go into withdrawal. In this case, heartbreak is the diagnosis.

Building off of the chemical processes, when dopamine is released into the brain you can feel satisfied, but when that source goes awol, things get messy. Those levels likely fluctuate as different events happen throughout the process of a heartbreak, and this fluctuation is the very thing the mind focuses on. Once being used to certain levels because of that person, when that person is removed, withdrawal-like symptoms occur (shaking, anxiety attacks, etc.), and you “crave” it. This process can be evident if you still get that desire to check up on an ex, even after a heartbreak (Collins). It leads to that resurgence of dopamine the mind’s been missing. And that, can possibly be an “explanation” as to why people struggle to fully recover from a heartbreak, and why “no-contact” methods are suggested.

A recent, “…study by Valorie Salimpoor and colleagues revealed that peak emotional arousal during music listening was associated with dopamine (DA) release in NAc and caudate” (Stegemann). This study concluded that dopamine release was associated with high emotional arousal combined with listening to music. This is the same result one feels during sex, or when eating. The act of listening to music can affect the same “neurochemical reward system” as those activities (Stegemann). Not only that, another hormone associated with what heartbreak really “feels” like, is serotonin.

Serotonin is the major component in pain regulation, mood regulation, and it helps contribute to one’s overall well-being (Collins). During heartbreak, the level of this hormone in your body drops, and this is what leads to increased impulsivity, sensitivity, and mood trouble. Primarily, but still in collaboration with dopamine, serotonin deficiency leads to depressive feelings and struggles with sleep, focus, and function. This is why, after a heartbreak, you tend to feel like doing things is much harder, or you’ll find yourself being sad for 10 minutes, then fine 5 minutes later. In this same study, dancing to music showed an increase in serotonin and dopamine. Standing up and moving to music provides a multitude of benefits. Because it combines physical activity, and the musical presence, it’s an excellent health support combo.

Music can be shown to help you mentally, but what about physically? Exercise has been shown to increase levels of serotonin, and provide a number of benefits for your body. And when it comes to heartbreak, you’re not just scrambling while you’re thinking. With all of these hormonal misfires in a newly hurt, jumbled nervous system, your body can physically respond. Your body potentially responds in the form of anxiety attacks, constant restlessness and fidgeting, or their opposites. The absence. Along with these issues, the chemical changes can lead to hair loss, weight gain or loss, change to your hormones, and/or dopamine levels (Pederson). It changes the way you behave. You have to basically re-calibrate life again. Another interesting statistic reveals that…

“Researchers are learning that being divorced may be a greater danger to your health than smoking: one analysis of 6.5 million people in 11 countries found that people who are divorced are 23 per cent more likely to die early than their married peers” (McBain)

McBain also goes on to describe how 6–7 % of the cardio-related hospital admissions are due to something called takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Also known as broken heart syndrome, it mimics a heart attack, and has a 4–5% chance of death (adrenaline overload causes the heart to essentially “short circuit”, and/or your body to go into instant cardiac arrest). Theoretically, a person CAN die from heartbreak. This story isn’t to incite fear, but to direct attention to possibilities music provides.

Who would have thought heartbreak can cause more damage than just sadness? But have no fear, music is always near. The effect of heartbreak on mental health directly connects to physical health, and vice versa. Poor mental health can be caused by physical health, and the physical by the mental. Hormones bridge the gap between mental and physical well being. In order to use music to positively influence the state of hormones, music must be truly listened to rather than simply heard.

How does one experience music in this way? Start with some sad songs in the style of music you’d like to listen to (this is important for later). Based on a study, “…from the University of Kent, found that when people were experiencing sadness, listening to music that was “beautiful but sad” enhanced their mood” (‌“Why Listening to Sad Music Heals Your Broken Heart | Psychology Today.”). When people consciously embraced the awareness of their situation, why it was sad, and then listened to sad music, they were able to find the beauty in the way it sounded. The melody, the tone, the tempo, the textures, the harmonies, and more. This in turn, helped their mood improve, and helped them find it easier to relate and find solace with their experiences, and the music. Those who didn’t take that approach didn’t have as much success (‌“Why Listening to Sad Music Heals Your Broken Heart | Psychology Today.”). Combine this with nature. Combine different forms of art to find different feelings of awe. Try to transcend the state you’re in, through the music you feel. This idea of being able to accept and understand where you are, all you can go from there is forward. This process in turn, allows for the brewing of new hope and growth processes/actions going forward.

Another way music can help is by letting it fuel your desire for positive connection with other people. That’s a whole new level of human biological rebuilding. Humans are social creatures. Music not only acts as the source; the platform for shared relatability; but as a way to connect everyone else’s interconnected ideas. It brings people together. People plus music equals joy. It’s an extremely well known equation. And along with that, a side result is dancing. And that’s physical activity! And that helps in a multitude of ways. Watch your face turn the right side up as you jump up and down with your friends… to music that’s not sad. Both types of music will reach the same result if you bend it the right way. The point is: Music.

Winston Churchill once said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” That’s the best advice one can receive if ever at this point in life. Everyone has their favorite artists, types of music, and songs they like to listen to on a daily basis. Find something that catches your ear like a bow pulling on the string of a violin, and let it sway. Acknowledge that you can, and will recover from whatever is pulling your soul to its knees. Close your eyes, put on those headphones, and feel the weight lift.

Playlist Recommendations:

“Out for the Night — Live” by The Marías (2020)

[embed]

This song was one of the first songs the lead singer (María) and drummer (Josh) wrote together. They released it on November 6th, 2019 on YouTube, describing the song as one of the first they wrote, and saying that they probably won’t ever release the produced track they made. So that makes it all the more important and impactful when listening to it. With María’s serenading voice, accompanied by the perfect synth background voice, they ride the melody like a wave — a wave in space. Electric guitars, percussion from the drums, and an electric keyboard organ are all syncopated beautifully to the synth beat. This song is the definition of beauty. Sit back and just relax. Lean your head back, look up, and close your eyes as you feel the music.

“Lover Girl” by Laufey (2025)

[embed]

An example of a more upbeat song, this track plays towards the preferences noted previously in my research. It’s a song where the lyrics and the melody bounce with a lively, almost daring, optimism. She sings as a lovestruck girl once again, and she plays with the playful idea of someone causing her to swoon as if it were a fairy tail. The beat leads you on her very own Disney princess nature-exploration montage. The whimsy brings appreciation for collaboration with people and animals as if you were there. It makes one want to be in the intoxicating, lovestruck, optimistic, joyous mindset it sings about. It begs you to smile.

“From the Start” by Good Kid (2024)

[embed]

This is an example of a sad song, with the same qualities of the last. It’s a sad song about the singer having interest in somebody, but that person of interest has eyes for another. Yet, the singer loves them undeniably, and is singing their heart out to portray this to us. He sings with the powerful, teenage, optimistic youth a lot of people know and love from the early 2000s-ish era. This type of singing breeds joy and inspiration. It makes you hope for the idea of love. It makes you want to see that in others. That’s how it helps you love love, and love other people. It’s a song that makes you cheer.

“Rock Bottom” by Eminem (1999)

[embed]

Eminem gives another perfect way to analyze the subjectivity of this healing journey. It’s a song about being all the way in the dump. Broke, no hope, resorting to stealing, being angry, all while trying to hold back a tear. It’s the pinnacle of being in the dump, but he raps about it, and gives it emotion. The vigor the song carries incites motivation in listeners like, “Yeah! Get mad, get goin, do somethin good! Get pumped!” Improvement as a human can come in forms aside from “good” or “bad” in this context. Heartbreak can be overcome in a multitude of ways. This song gets people going.

Conclusion

Music of all types can lead to different types of emotions. These emotions can be channeled into positivity towards your life, and create great benefit. Listening to hopeful, syncopated music helps you appreciate the beauty of what you are hearing, and life as a whole. On the other hand, music with a darker subject, or sad subject, depending on the theme of the song, elicits a type of inspiration. It brings in people’s desires to do good, to do what results from the motivating subject being sung about, in the method the music portrays it. The melody allows for a different interpretation of the message, allowing us to apply our desires to the outcomes we are searching for in our own health. What caused our heartbreak? What can we do to fix it? These songs help find the answers to those questions.

Reflection:

Things will get better. I believe in this method as a great choice for any mental health related recovery. All of these songs I’ve provided I have tested in the field. I’m describing it in the way it helped me. I encourage everyone to interpret their own music in the same way I have mine. Acknowledge what areas within yourself you feel pain in, and open up to it. Listen to music regarding these areas in which they portray principles of which you can enjoy and appreciate. It will result in an eye opening desire to become, well, better. Don’t let yourself suffer any longer than you have to. Allow yourself to hop onto the wave that “Out for the Night — Live” provides, and let it guide you to your own wave. Do this until you land on that soft, tender beach to rebuild a new sand castle.

Artist Statement (Visual):

This visual component provides a quick look into what heartbreak symptoms look like, and what listening to music can provide in this context. The goal is to help the reader establish the connection between music’s capabilities of producing hormones that people feeling heartbreak lack. Demonstrating this direct connection shows readers that if they are feeling the symptoms they are being made aware of, they can see there are potential solutions through music. I provide images showing joyous, and negative reinforcement to both sides of this battle. Of these images, people can see a visual representation of what they don’t like to feel like in these states, and on the other side, you can see the music claiming to mediate those feelings. Behind that music, is an inspiring urgency to give this new idea an attempt to solve such a common issue. Rather than having to read everything in my blog, if I want anyone to take something from my work, all they need to do is take a glance at this visual.

References

• Collins, Erin. “Why Heartbreak Feels Physical: The Chemistry of a Broken Heart.” Inspire the Mind, 6 Feb. 2026, www.inspirethemind.org/post/why-heartbreak-feels-physical-the-chemistry-of-a-broken-heart. Accessed 28 April 2026
• Dunlop, William L., et al. “Romantic Heartbreak: Prevalence, Personality Traits, and Personal Stories.” Personal Relationships, Nov. 2020, https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12353.
• McBain, Sophie. “‘I’m the patron saint of the dumped’: Florence Williams on the science of heartbreak.” New Statesman, vol. 151, no. 5658, 11 Mar. 2022, pp. 14+. Gale OneFile: News, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A698472771/STND?u=mcc_chandler&sid=summon&xid=ee685f4b. Accessed 10 May 2026.
• “The Science of Love: What’s Happening in Your Body.” Northwestern Medicine, Feb. 2024, www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/emotional-health/the-science-of-love. Accessed 10 May 2026
• Pedersen, Cort A. “Biological Aspects of Social Bonding and the Roots of Human Violence.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 1036, Dec. 2004, pp. 106–27, https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1330.006.
• Stegemann, Thomas. “Neurotransmitters.” Music in the Social and Behavioral Sciences: An Encyclopedia, edited by William Forde Thompson, et al., vol. 2, SAGE Reference, 2014, pp. 807–809. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX6592100285/GVRL?u=mcc_chandler&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=d0de05e7. Accessed 10 May 2026.
• “The Most Common Causes of Heartbreak.” Psychology Today, 2021, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/finding-a-new-home/202105/the-most-common-causes-of-heartbreak.
• ‌“Why Listening to Sad Music Heals Your Broken Heart | Psychology Today.” Www.psychologytoday.com, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-new-resilience/202204/why-listening-sad-music-heals-your-broken-heart.
• https://open.spotify.com/track/3guazByz82uD2zHf8q7As1
• https://www.anxiousminds.co.uk/managing-panic-attacks-tips-for-relief/
• https://www.alamy.com/body-mass-index-illustration-image353194322.html
• https://open.spotify.com/track/6BJHsLiE47Sk0wQkuppqhr
• https://open.spotify.com/album/6Qj5rkXFYGlCe7X6VqqoRS
• https://open.spotify.com/track/5XHgo8eXtKTK0xLKMNiOll
• https://www.sacdermatology.com/8-signs-you-should-see-a-dermatologist-about-hair-loss