Sadness
Sadness is an emotion characterized by feelings of disadvantage, loss, and helplessness. When sad, people often become quiet, less energetic, and withdrawn. Sadness is considered to be the opposite of happiness, and is similar to the emotions of sorrow, grief, misery, and melancholy. The philosopher Baruch Spinoza defined sadness as the “transfer of a person from a large perfection to a smaller one.” Sadness can be viewed as a temporary lowering of mood (colloquially called “feeling blue”), whereas clinical depression is characterized by a persistent and intense lowered mood, as well as disruption to one’s ability to function in day to day matters. Most people who are sad are usually also angry or mad at something.
The word ‘sad’ is also used as a derogatory slang term to refer to something that is considered pathetic.
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadness
Sadness is good for you, scientists say
By Richard Alleyne, Science Corresponden - Telegraph
Scientists have warned that growing tendency to medicate against sadness like a disease stops us embracing our miserable side and removes the motivation to mature emotionally.
Like the saying “what does not kill me, makes me stronger”, being sad and melancholic can leave sufferers better able to cope with life’s challenges, more resilient and spur them to greater achievements, it is claimed.
The researchers point out that today’s society prizes personal happiness above all else and there is little tolerance for wallowing in despair after losing a job, the break-up of a relationship or the death of a loved one.
But a growing number of mental health experts fear the increasing tendency to take a pill to beat the blues could actually affect human evolution.
Continues: Telegraph
