Meagan Curtis on the Science of Sad Songs

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Sad songs are just part of the story.  Anyone who has suffered a broken heart knows the satisfaction of listening to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” or Paul McCartney singing “Yesterday.”  According to psychologist Meagan Curtis, the inherent sadness of the minor third is what we hear in music.  She tells Steve Paulson that a recent study suggests it is also what we hear in speech.