Crying over Taylor Swift’s new album? Listening to sad songs may have health benefits

(CNN) - It’s a big day for Swifties everywhere.

Taylor Swift’s much-anticipated new album “The Tortured Poets Department” dropped Friday. And with song titles like “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” fans are in for some sad songs about heartbreak.

But that may not be a bad thing.

Swifties and others may actually get some health benefits from that sadness.

From a record-breaking tour to a brand-new album, Swifties everywhere are united in their love of Taylor, heartbreak and all.

“I think music can be a real conduit for processing our own emotions,” Arianna Galligher said.

Arianna Galligher with Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center said there’s an upside to sad songs. Listening to lyrics about the pain of a broken heart can actually benefit your emotional and mental health.

“When we feel sad, I think there, there is a gravitation sometimes towards solitude, but we don’t want to feel alone,” Galligher said.

The American Heart Association said a broken heart has ties to depression and mental health and can lead to conditions like heart disease. But Galligher says having a connection to someone even if it’s to an artist you’ve never met can bring hope.

“Even if no one else knows exactly what you’re going through to know that someone else has been through something similar and came out on the other side to be able to sing about it is kind of remarkable,” she said.

A good cry can release feel-good endorphins and boost mental health and holding back emotions may hinder your ability to have positive feelings. Galligher said letting it all out can help you navigate those emotions.

“To notice that relief on the other side of it when you have sort of gotten through it and you start to notice some other feelings rising to the surface, it’s almost like a fever breaks,” she said.

So Swifties, turn up that music and let yourself feel it there’s no need to shake it off.

Galligher said that feeling sad is a part of life but if it’s getting in the way of your ability to function in other ways.

She said to try listening to something that evokes a different emotional response and be intentional about carving out time to be sad but don’t stay there.