The Thin End

We know that listening to music and exercise has positive effects on our wellbeing.  If this is so, then putting the two together should have added benefits.  You might think that is so, and you would be right. But what is the evidence that it does?  We know that 'sad music' makes us...well...feel sad.  That is why it is called sad. Precisely what it is that makes us feel sad when listening to it is an interesting question.  Music in minor keys tends to sound 'sadder' or more melancholy than tunes in major keys.  We can bring about a major change in mood simply by switching from major to minor, and this is commonly exploited in popular and classical music.  It can introduce a kind of melancholy even within an otherwise jolly and uplifting piece.  When I listen to Let it Be, I find it both uplifting and with that important ingredient,  a tinge of melancholy.  Certainly, the lyrics are important.  When I find my self in times of troub...