Feeling a little down? Here are the proven perks to your sadness.
We've all experienced a bought of the blues before. Sometimes it can be a little difficult to snap out of, and it can even become overwhelming at times. Whether it's due to the season changing, a breakup, a loss of a loved one or a even a buildup of events—it happens. And although it may not seem like it, sadness actually has some perks. There's research proving it to be true—as long as your minor funk isn't on the border of depression.
While this knowledge may not directly be the key to resuscitating your happiness, it will surely help you to see the light to come once this period ends. It's also important to be able to distinguish the differences between sadness and depression. According to Women's Health Matters, signs of depression include but are not limited to: pessimistic thoughts, low energy levels and appetite issues. If you or someone you know is battling with depression, please seek help for them.
Although we're giving you seven positive facts to take away from being down and out, which range from being more appreciative to having better judgement, there are other ways to cope with sadness directly, like a girls' night, filled with binge eating pizza and cheap wine. So meanwhile, give that a shot—it's a lot healthier and much more fun than uncorking the wine alone.
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1. Improves Your Short-Term Memory
Being down also means being more precise. Psychologist Joseph Forgas and his team determined that people who were in a funk remembered what occured sufficiently more accurate compared to their happy counterparts.
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3. It Increases Motivation
A study shows that sadness operates like a warning signal to our bodies, triggering us to exert more effort and motivation in order to best deal with a challenge in our environment.
OK, so you won't be a walking billboard for Nike but you will definitely feel more productive, right? Right!
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5. It Makes You More Appreciative
After you've been down for a while, it allows you to have greater appreciation and insight when you aren't so down. It gives you greater perspective on the things you may be taking for granted.
Essentially, you learn to enjoy the small things (like bacon).
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6. It Makes You Less Judgmental
Even though your judgment may be more reliable, you won't be as quick to judge others.
Researchers believe this is because sadness may trigger something in the part of the brain that makes people more civil and understanding. You'll be a lot more comfortable off that high horse this way.
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