Sadness

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Emotions
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A young boy looking sad

Sadness is an emotion. It is the opposite of happiness. People feel sad when something bad has happened, for example, if their mother or father has died.

In capital letters, SAD, or S.A.D. is short for "Seasonal affective disorder". SAD is a sickness that some people have in the winter. They feel depressed as the nights become longer and there is less daylight.

When people are very sad, and for a long time, the person could have a serious mental illness called depression or Bipolar disorder.

Sadness Media

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  A detail of the 1672 sculpture Entombment of Christ, showing Mary Magdalene crying

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  A man expressing sadness with his head in his hands

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  A carving of the family of Marija and Petar Škuljević exhibiting sadness over their deaths

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  Lost in thoughts, by Wilhelm Amberg. An individual experiencing sadness may become quiet or lethargic, and withdraw themselves from others.

Notes

It is normally thought of as the opposite of happiness, but you can feel both happy and sad at the same time.

Related pages

• Happiness
• Depression (mental illness)