10 Unexpected Benefits of a Bad Mood

1. Alternating sadness and joy is important for motivation

Psychologists from the University of Ghent (Belgium) found that those whose mood changed from sad to joyful during the day were more enthusiastic at work (unlike those who were in the same mood during the day). According to them, this proves the importance of emotional switching to maintain the rhythm. “We need to understand that stressful events, such as conflicts with colleagues, mistakes and disruptions, are an inevitable part of the workflow,” the researchers say. “Negative experiences spur people to action and keep them focused.”

2. Accept your sadness and it will bother you less.

Sometimes it’s not the emotions themselves that bother us more, but the fact that they seem wrong and inappropriate to us. Psychologist Gloria Luong and her colleagues surveyed 365 students about how they feel about positive and negative emotions. Then, for three weeks, the researchers observed them and recorded how certain emotions affected their psychological state. In general, the majority of young people showed the expected consequences of emotions (for example, they complained of fatigue and headaches due to depression and, conversely, did not notice them when they were uplifted). But it turned out that those who treated negative emotions calmly suffered less from them. And those who were angry with themselves because of their depression experienced an even greater breakdown.

3. Sometimes it’s good to have a good cry

In some cases, instead of holding back the tears that come to the eyes, it is worth letting them splash out. In the experiment of the American psychologist Lauren Bylsma (Lauren Bylsma) 97 female students for one to two months noted in the diary episodes when they could not hold back tears. 60% reported that their mood did not change after crying. But 30% admitted that they felt better. Moreover, the stronger (but not long) the attack of crying was, the greater the relief that followed.

4. We are more convincing when we are sad.

Psychologists from the University of South Wales (Australia) showed volunteers small films to make them sad or cheer. They were then asked to come up with arguments to convince an imaginary interlocutor of their point of view on the controversial issue. This experience was repeated several times several times, and always those who were in a bad mood offered more convincing arguments. According to the authors, sadness encourages people to be more focused and careful.

5. Mild depression helps you better feel the emotions of others.

In a state of depression, a person often feels lonely and separated from the outside world. But psychologists at the University of Queens in Canada found that mild depression actually increased the ability to recognize people’s emotions from photographs that showed only their eyes. However, there is one caveat: depression is usually accompanied by low self-esteem, and people affected by it can not always correctly interpret other people’s emotions (for example, think that others are angry with them or judge them).

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6. Bad mood does not reduce the sharpness of the mind

Is it possible to work regardless of the mood? Psychologists at Goldsmiths University (Great Britain) invited the participants of their study to perform various intellectual tests for concentration, memory and information processing speed for five days. Every day before the start of work, the participants filled out a questionnaire about their mood. Productivity and mood scores fluctuated over the course of the study, but overall, no relationship was found between them. In other words, a bad mood did not affect the work of the mind.

7. Sadness stimulates analytical thinking.

In an experiment by Dutch psychologists, business students listened to instructions and a motivational speech from their mentor via video link. In one case, the curator spoke in a confident and cheerful voice, smiled and radiated joy with his whole appearance, in the other, on the contrary, he looked preoccupied and upset. Those students who listened to the curator’s parting words in a good mood showed themselves better when completing tasks for creativity. But those who saw the second tape were better at the analytical thinking games.

8. Sadness makes us more attentive.

Australian psychologists also found that depressed people are more attentive to inconsistencies in information. The researchers showed volunteers a movie about a traffic accident and then asked some of them to recall sad events in their lives. After a while, they were asked questions about the film, which included gimmicks (such as “did you spot the fireman with the hose?”). Those who were reminded of the sadness events were more likely to identify the catch and were generally more accurate.

9. When we are sad, we are harder to deceive.

The same scientists found that sad people are better at detecting liars by facial expressions, gestures, and other signs. Participants in the study were shown videos of people testifying about the theft. Some of them told the truth, others lied. Those who had watched films with a sad ending prior to the start of the experiment were more likely than others to point out the deceivers.

10. Sadness is a sign of a meaningful life

They say that only a fool is always happy. An American survey published in 2013 found that those who considered their lives meaningful were also more likely to experience anxiety, stress, and anxiety. “People who sacrifice their pleasure in order to do something constructive for society make an important contribution to its development,” says psychologist Roy Baumeister. “We must encourage people to act despite the possibility of losing peace and momentary happiness.”

See more at Online BPS Research Digest.