The Book of Joy

New studies conducted by psychology researcher Joseph Forgas show
that mild sadness can actually have a number of benefits that could
reflect its value. In his experiments, people who were in a sad mood had
better judgment and memory, and were more motivated, more sensitive
to social norms, and more generous than the happier control group.
People who are in a so-called negative state of sadness were more
discerning about their situation, better able to remember details, and
more motivated to change their situation. What is particularly interesting
is that brief sadness might generate more empathy or generosity.
Participants in the study played a game, part of which involved deciding
how much money to give themselves and how much to give others. The
sad participants gave significantly more to the other participants.
While depression certainly collapses our circle of concern inward, the
periodic feeling of sadness might widen it. Forgas concluded that sadness
may have some benefit in our lives, which may be why people are drawn
to music, art, and literature that makes them feel sad. He urges us to
embrace all of our emotions, because they no doubt play a necessary role
in our lives.
Sadness is in many ways the emotion that causes us to reach out to
one another in support and solidarity. The Archbishop expressed it quite
wonderfully when he explained, “We don’t really get close to others if
our relationship is made up of unending hunky-dory-ness. It is the hard
times, the painful times, the sadness and the grief that knit us more
closely together.” A funeral is perhaps the most obvious example of this
weaving of our relationships and community together, but even tears are
a signal to others that we need comfort and kindness, that we are
vulnerable and need help.
We try so hard to separate joy and sorrow into their own boxes, but
the Archbishop and the Dalai Lama tell us that they are inevitably
fastened together. Neither advocate the kind of fleeting happiness, often
called hedonic happiness, that requires only positive states and banishes
feelings like sadness to emotional exile. The kind of happiness that they
describe is often called eudemonic happiness and is characterized by self-
understanding, meaning, growth, and acceptance, including life’s