NPR's 'Why beautiful sadness — in music, in art — evokes a special pleasure'

This image shows the painting "Ophelia," by John Everett Millais (1829-1896). Experts say that there's a reason that we're attracted to art and music that depict sadness.

De Agostini via Getty Images

This 4-minute listen from NPR, Why beautiful sadness - in music, in art - evokes a special pleasure, highlights how we humans, who normally avoid sadness, actively seek it out in aesthetics and art. It allows us to experience the benefits that sadness brings, such as eliciting empathy, connecting with others, purging a negative emotion, without actually having to go through the loss that is typically associated with it. The paradox of pleasurable sadness helps us to find our humanity, it makes us feel and know we are alive.

Listen at NPR here.