Pleasure in Pain

In class, we talked about how people listen to sad music, not just because they "have to" in order to fully appreciate music, but because they want to.  People seek out sad songs.  People also love to watch "tearjerker" movies. Why is it that people want to be saddened by a song or other work of art, but not by real life experiences?  After all, we tend to avoid most negative situations.  Davies briefly mentioned the theory that people use negative art as a way to purge their own negative feelings.  I agree with this.  This reminds me of what Freud said about art.  He said that it's easier to view something painful or sad or disturbing in a work of art and appreciate it as something separate from yourself, than to admit that you have those negative feelings too.  Negative art allows people to feel pain without admitting their own pain.  It serves as a distraction from their own problems.

People voluntarily engage in all sorts of painful activities such as body piercing, tattoos, sadomasochism, or other forms of self harm.  One reason people may do this is simply for the thrill.  It could be exciting and adventurous to hurt yourself.  It could also be used as an escape from reality, the way people listen to sad music as an escape from reality.