Breakup songs play a powerful role in post-breakup healing. "We get the sense of universality, meaning we're not the only ones who feel this way," said Kenneth Scott Aigen, associate professor of music therapy at Temple's Boyer College of Music and Dance. Unlike mere words, which express one emotion at a time, music — through melody, tone, harmony and the emotion in the voice — captures the jumble of sadness, anger and loss all at once, he said.