Listening to the blues: An ecological momentary assessment of music choice in depression.

Persons with depression consistently report a different pattern of music preference, compared to nondepressed persons. Are such preferences maladaptive or beneficial? We tested this question in a study with 3 parts that examined 77 participants' (39 with and 38 without clinical depression) music choice in daily life, affective changes after music listening, and the reasons for music listening. During a 3-day ecological momentary assessment, participants chose a song from a preset music library of happy and sad songs and rated their affect before and after hearing the chosen song. In addition, we analyzed the characteristics (e.g., tempo) of songs participants listened to more than 5 times over 7 days (from participants' Spotfiy music streaming accounts; favorite songs). Finally, we analyzed the reasons for music listening in general when feeling happy and sad. Unlike nondepressed persons, persons with depression lacked a preference for happy over sad songs in daily contexts. Notably, both groups reported increased relaxedness as well as decreased happiness after hearing sad songs. Further, favorite songs of persons with depression had a slower tempo than nondepressed persons' ones. When reporting reasons to listen to music when feeling sad, both groups were less likely to report that they listened to music to increase high arousal positive affect, compared to other reasons. One reason that may attract persons with depression to sad music is a desire to feel calm. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).