 While compensation may appeal to a familiar kind of trade off, it needs to tell us what specific compensatory benefits are to be had from the negative emotions provoked by art. Philosophers have long cited epistemic benefits: the distressing events of tragedy are a source of moral and psychological learning, sometimes about ourselves (Collingwood 1938; Schier 1983). Empirical scientists have added to the list: painful emotions generate strong pro-social feelings that help to unite us with both characters and authors (Bastian, Pe, &amp; Kuppens 2017; Egloff 2017).