Sadness is
We feel sad when
we realise that we are unlikely to achieve our goals, and especially when we
have put a lot of effort into achieving them. Initially, this may trigger anger, but this never lasts
for long and we are left in the miserable state of sadness.
Sadness may not
last for long or may persist, depending on the goal that has been frustrated.
Depression is an
extreme forms of sadness, where people stay sad for a long time and cannot
see any way out of their state.
Triggering sadness
Sadness can be
triggered by things that remind us of sad times, from down-beat music to tragic
plays. Just being around depressed people is, well, a depressing experience.
Internally, sadness
is caused by a lack of seratonin being created in the brain. Happy people
produce lots of seratonin, whilst sad people produce very little.
Sad people tend
to be more pessimistic and cautious. This appears in such as shopping habits,
where sad people will look dolefully, but buy very little and very boring things.
Sadness is not
a permanent state, and time is a great healer.
So what?
If someone is sad
and you want them to be happy, reframe their goals to something they can
achieve in the short term.
Do not try to sell
things to people when they are sad, unless that state really is important.
