Glad to be Sad?

No one likes to be sad. But being sad like many perceived negative thoughts and emotions can be beneficial in many ways! From Metro

It turns out that glum people such as Jack Dee actually hold the key to success in life, because scientists say that bad moods improve memory, make you less gullible and improve your judgment.

Think that news is too good to be true? Well, lighten up and pay attention to psychology professor Joseph Forgas from the University of New South Wales. He found in a study he conducted into negative thinking that moody sorts have plenty of positive attributes.

‘Whereas positive mood seems to promote creativity, flexibility, cooperation, and reliance on mental shortcuts, negative moods trigger more attentive, careful thinking paying greater attention to the external world,’ Forgas wrote.

Our research suggests that sadness promotes information processing strategies best suited to dealing with more demanding situations.’

For the study, published in the Australasian Science journal, Forgas and his team conducted several experiments that started with inducing happy or sad moods in their subjects through watching films and recalling positive or negative events.

In one of the experiments, happy and sad participants were asked to judge the truth of urban myths and rumors and found that people in a negative mood were less likely to believe these statements.

People in a bad mood were also less likely to make snap decisions based on racial or religious prejudices, and they were less likely to make mistakes when asked to recall an event that they witnessed.

The study also found that sad people were better at stating their case through written arguments. Forgas said that this showed a ‘mildly negative mood may actually promote a more concrete, accommodative and ultimately more successful communication style’.

‘Positive mood is not universally desirable: people in negative mood are less prone to judgmental errors, are more resistant to eyewitness distortions and are better at producing high-quality, effective persuasive messages,’ Forgas wrote.

So, don’t worry – be gloomy!

As I’ve always stated, just because you’re not a positive person, doesn’t mean you can’t get positive results. Everything we do has value in it. In this instant world, where people just want the answers and never have to think of the question’s true meaning, we dismiss many thoughts because we can’t recognize their worth right away.

So the next time your sad, start making some decisions. Odds are, you’ll take the time to think things through better than when you’re a happy camper.

Sidebar – Why are campers happy? I’ve been camping. It’s a miserable experience. My back hurts from sleeping on the ground, if I even get sleep with all the nature making creepy noises outside the tent! I prefer a nice hotel room. Instead of hanging your food in a tree to prevent bears from stealing it, you can use the safe.

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