Why do we listen to sad music when we're upset?

It's late at night, maybe 1, 2, 3... AM, and for some reason, you end up listening to (what people call) emo music. Well, maybe you don't, maybe you're at a party listening to electronic music and having a lot of fun, but that isn't what I'm talking about, so, let's put that aside.

I'm talking about when it's late at night, you're on your own, feeling down thinking about your life, and you find yourself listening to sad music. It might even sound senseless, because, if you're not feeling okay, listening to sad music? Isn't that going to make everything worse? 

You've got a point there if you think so. In fact, sometimes, listening to sad music makes you feel even sadder and, you know, that only leaves us fucked up emotionally - which isn't cool at all. 

Why do we do that then? You want an answer? Here it is. (Well, at least this is why I do it, every person is different, but most people I've heard about agree with me in this)

If you're feeling down, it comforts you to know that someone out there understands you, that there's someone out there who knows what you're going through - because that means you're not the only one, that means you're not as alone as you feel. Am I right? 

Yeah, you will probably cry a river while listening to those sad lyrics. Nonetheless, it's like when you're opening up to someone and they just say "I know how it feels like, I've been there". Of course you don't want them to suffer, you don't like the fact that they've suffered (I guess), but their understanding embraces you. 

The difference is that you didn't have to say a word. The difference is that you do not know that person, and they do not know you. The difference is that you only put a song on. They don't know you, but for 4 minutes 51 seconds, it feels like they know you better than anyone else in this world. 

That's enough, that's all you needed. Someone understood you, someone told you that it was okay to hurt, that it was okay to feel all these things. Someone told you they felt the same way you did. Someone told you everything was going to be okay.

Do you ever feel this way? Let me know your experiences on this on the comments below!