People worry about kids playing with guns, and teenagers watching violent videos; we are scared that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands - literally thousands - of songs about broken hearts and rejection and pain and misery and loss. The unhappiest people I know, romantically speaking, are the ones who like pop music the most; and I don't know whether pop music has caused this unhappiness, but I do know that they've been listening to the sad songs longer than they've been living the unhappy lives.
In his book "High Fidelity," Nick Hornby highlights a paradox in societal concerns regarding youth influences. While there is a widespread fear about children and teens being exposed to guns or violent media, people often overlook the emotional impact of music, specifically pop songs that delve into themes of heartbreak and pain. It raises questions about whether this constant exposure to sadness in music could contribute to emotional struggles among listeners.
Hornby suggests that the unhappiest individuals he knows tend to gravitate towards pop music, which is filled with expressions of rejection and misery. He points out that while we cannot definitively say that these sad songs have caused their unhappiness, it is evident that many have been absorbed in these themes for a long time, long before they experienced such emotional distress in real life. This observation invites a deeper reflection on how art, particularly music, shapes our emotional landscape and potentially influences our relationships.
