The History Of Sadness, And How We Can Deal With It

Everyone gets sad sometimes. It’s part of being human, but dealing with it is still difficult. This TED-Ed video dives into how we’ve perceived sadness through history, and how we benefit from and deal with it in our own lives.

The video points out one possible benefit of sadness: we can all relate to it, so it can bring us closer to one another, giving us a better social bond. It also goes into detail about how different cultures handle sadness, both over time and distance.

To deal with sadness, ride it out, stay connected with people and be expressive. One interesting thing about the video is that it never specifically states to talk about sadness, but instead uses the word “express“. Emily Dickinson, notorious for being a recluse by nature, is someone the video uses as a prime example for the ability to express their emotions without specifically talking about them.

Whether you choose to lean on a friend or write it out, don’t keep your feelings bottled up. And remember that sadness might help you connect to others.

A brief history of melancholy – Courtney Stephens [TED-Ed via Mashable]