The post-event blues

This fan-favorite label and its variations help communities validate and express emotions that others might not take seriously. But what is it, and what experiences get left out of the conversation?

Post-concert depression. Post-rave depression. Post-con(vention) blues. Happiness hangovers. [Insert name of event here] withdrawal.

Phrases like these sparked my first curiosities about the post-event phase of collective experiences. It was specifically post-concert depression (PCD), and I was trying to understand some of my own… shall we say unexpected post-show experiences. (I was so out of it, at one point an acquaintance had to repeat a basic question about five times before I had any comprehension of what he was saying.)

Coming from the world of positive psychology, I had a complicated response to “PCD” being thrown around. I was intrigued at the psychological wording, but also had a kind of impulsively rose-tinted reaction to its negativity. Isn’t there something we can do so people feel better? I’ve felt melancholic and dazed after shows, but is that depression? Is sadness really the only thing people are experiencing? Aren’t there happy emotions too?

And of course: Why isn’t there any research on this? 

The popularity of this phrasing across different groups—especially fandoms—should tell you something important is happening. People are having a real, common experience that they want to understand. (It feels a bit weird to assert its realness, but this is an interestingly common way people talk about it: “PCD is real!”) I’ve felt it, and maybe you have too, each in our own way.

There are no books or studies to inform and guide us. And who except our fellow fan would take us seriously? So we have relied upon each other to make sense of our feelings, to bond over them, and to support each other. For these purposes, it’s very helpful to use “PCD” or a similar phrase as shorthand that encompasses a variety of experiences.

Yet it seems that over the years, many fans are still asking ourselves the basic questions: is this post-event crash I’m feeling normal? And what do I do about it? So we continue to blog (hi!), validate and comfort each other, and spread whatever information we can. But honestly we’re not making any huge advancements in our understanding.

However, if you’re a fan who knows a thing or two about research methods, you might take matters into your own hands. I was amazed to find an article on PCD by a fellow BTS fan. Although it wasn’t published in a peer-reviewed process, years later it is still the only research paper I’ve found specifically about PCD. Based on her survey of 41 ARMYs, she came to the following “clinical description” of post-concert depression:

“The sudden, overwhelming, and rapid downward crash, characterized by a feeling of recurring emptiness, disappointment, longing, and heartache, after a very long- awaited fulfilling high moment, which often comes as a realization that the moment, and how fun and euphoric it felt, is truly over and is precipitated by the wish to relive the moment, followed by a fear of never getting the chance (or anxiety of having to wait to get the chance) to relive the moment again.

It may also include the annoyance and regret of things you didn’t get to do during the moment, a self-inflicted withdrawal from the real world (usually by spacing out and ruminating about the event, demotivation to do anything, or an overall somber mood) caused by a denial of having to return to a normal life after such an event, and a tendency to talk about the details of the moment obsessively or crave for similar content.” (Yap, 2020, pp. 1-2)

Harmony and disharmony

The author’s main research question was whether this colloquial PCD was comparable to major depression as defined in the DSM (an American handbook of mental disorders). She did not find support for that conclusion. In fact, fans notably reported behavior that is the opposite of a main symptom of clinical depression. Instead of losing interest in their hobbies, these ARMYs increased their engagement with all things BTS in the wake of their concert experiences (Yap, 2020).

Other interesting findings have an unclear connection to mood. Regarding memory, these ARMYs fell into three equal groups: those who had complete and vivid memories of the show, those who remembered some of the songs but not everything, and those who only had “small hazy memories” (p. 4) of the whole experience. I actually felt comforted when I first read this, as I had been totally bewildered after my first BTS concert when I realized I couldn’t remember chunks of what I had just seen. It can be upsetting to lose memories of something meaningful and unrepeatable, but the loss itself doesn’t seem related to depression.

Yap’s survey did reveal several negative “symptoms” of post-concert experience. She summarizes that, two weeks following the concert, over half of respondents felt what Yap called “separation anxiety with BTS.” Some also reported difficulties concentrating, being low energy, or having sad or depressed feelings. Most people felt negative emotions a few times per week, but for a small number it was daily; others “very rarely.” The majority (around 68%) said that their negative mood would still come up beyond two weeks (Yap, 2020).

And that’s still not the whole story. As Yap notes early on in the paper, about 90% of ARMYs surveyed experienced “joy and euphoria” (p. 2) immediately following the show. In that moment, many felt that they didn’t know how to “move on from that experience” (p. 2). To me, this suggests a feeling of awe, which can provoke a similar overwhelmed reaction. Roughly half were already feeling separation anxiety, and/or sadness and exhaustion.

Separation anxiety is not clearly defined here, but through reading some of the examples, you start to get a picture of fans who miss their euphoric experience (and BTS themselves), want to return to it but can’t, and must instead face the dullness and worries of their reality. It makes perfect sense, then, that along with the negative emotions of some respondents, “most of them felt nostalgic, reminiscent, and they looked forward to seeing BTS again, feeling grateful for their precious concert memories with the boys and ARMYs” (Yap, 2020, p. 3).

The depression of PCD may not be clinical, but it is emotional, and refers to something truly felt by many people. It is a good thing to openly approach those emotions; labeling them helps us do that. “Post-event depression” is concise, and even catchy. But it is also pretty insufficient as a descriptor of the full range of post-event experiences. We can at least think of “afterglow” as the positive counterpart to PCD—they even appear to have similar durations—but I rarely see that word in casual discussion.

The afterglow

I don’t think fans need a researcher or anyone else to tell them that their experiences are complex, valuable, beautiful, and on the whole positive. After all, these are experiences we freely seek out, and even pay a great deal for. As a positive psychology practitioner, though, maybe I just can’t help myself. I wonder whether the prominence of a term about depression makes it too easy for us to overly fixate on the negative.

A while ago, I messaged a fellow positive psychology expert on this topic. Dr. Nico Rose writes about heavy metal and well-being, so I was curious about his perspective. What he said surprised me, but only a little:

“I have to admit I don’t really know ‘post concert depression’. For me, it rather feels like I’m uplifted for several days, sometimes even weeks after a good concert. And I can sustain that by looking at photos, watching video clips or listening to live albums. It’s [PCD] really something that never occurred to me…”

As common as the post-event blues are, I suspect that the afterglow is much more so. Maybe even near-universal. (Any researchers reading this in need of a project…?!) Perhaps, in circles where PCD is the dominant topic of discussion after a collective experience, we are missing out on opportunities to savor and explore a whole lot more.

Party-starter guide: Healing your post-event blues

From collective online wisdom and my own suggestion:

• Embrace your feelings rather than trying to push them away. There is nothing wrong with these emotions; it means you experienced something meaningful. It can help to journal, meditate, or talk it out with empathetic people.

• Tend to your physical needs. Rest if you need rest. Don’t forget to eat, drink water, and move.

• Access your community. Symptoms of post-event depression might be due to the loss of the intense feelings of connection (not only elation) which collective events provide. If emptiness and isolation follow, then re-connecting is the cure.

Post-connection

• Allow yourself time to re-immerse yourself in related content, including your own pictures and videos. (This may also serve as a memory aid, or help extend the afterglow!) But if you notice you are using this as a way to withdraw from your life, take a break. You can come back to it later.

• Plan something to look forward to. Rather than just chasing the next high, think about the positive things you gained from your experience, and how else you might cultivate those things in your life, even in smaller ways. Notice how we find joy in anticipation; this may be part of the loss you feel after a big event.

• Experience designers can consider whether it makes sense to provide support or guidance regarding any of the listed suggestions, and what the right timing might be.

Afterparty talk

Have you ever had the post-event blues? Does your experience overlap with the ones described in this post? Was there anything else to it? Did you take any steps to alleviate your symptoms? What worked or didn’t work?

Party on

Share this post to keep the conversation going.

References

Yap, L. K. (2020). ARMYs post-concert depression as a clinical phenomenon. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343222715_ARMYs_Post-Concert_Depression_as_A_Clinical_Phenomenon