Is feeling sad a result of a lack of "feel good" chemicals in the brain?

Question

A question about the centers of emotion in the brain. Is the feeling of sadness caused by a lack of "feel good" chemicals in the brain, or is there actually a substance that causes people to feel bad? Is so has this "sadness" substance ever been isolated and tested in experiments? Are emotions really just a combination of neurotransmitters or brain signals???? Thanks.

Answer 1

This is a good question! Many people do believe that emotions are all "chemical", even love! While there's no proof, chemicals in the brain play a huge part in this, but most people feel that emotions are caused by the combinations of many things. For instance, adrenaline alone can cause fear of anger, when there's nothing to be afraid or angry about. Sadness is usually caused by loss, not the lack of a chemical (like depression can be).

According to an article called "Sadness and Depression Are Not Synonymous", by Ian Magill, M.D., well, they're NOT the same!
Says Dr. Magill: "Whereas sadness is an emotional state of mind; depression is an illness, a mood disorder, and a constellation of symptoms."(1)

The short version of this is that sadness is a normal reaction to various upsetting events, and eventually goes away or lessens if treated. It is NOT the same as depression, though they can feel the same at first.

The "sadness substance" you are thinking of is more related to depression and it is a LACK of the substance, serotonin, a chemical that transmits nerve impulses in the brain. For some reason (scientists aren't really sure), some people's brains produce less serotonin OR get rid of it too quickly. For a more detailed description, see below.


Even depression can be called clinical (long-term, resulting from chemical imbalance in the brain, disease or trauma), or "reactive". That is, some depression occurs for the same reasons as sadness, but lasts longer. It doesn't mean you'll be depressed forever, though.

In an article in livestrong.org , "Sadness is a feeling of unhappiness, unrest or mental suffering. A loss of some kind or an unexpected change can cause sadness; however, people experience this feeling for many different reasons. Sadness is a normal human response to upsetting situations and plays an important role in helping you understand how much you really care about something. Feeling sad is a normal reaction when areas of your life change, when situations feel uncertain or when you are grieving the loss of something or someone you care about. (2)

Regarding depression, there are many causes, but a chemical problem is definitely one: "There is absolute proof that people suffering from depression have changes in their brains compared to people who do not suffer from depression. The hippocampus, a small part of the brain that is vital to the storage of memories, is smaller in people with a history of depression than in those who've never been depressed. A smaller hippocampus has fewer serotonin receptors. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter -- a chemical messenger that allows communication between nerves in the brain and the body." (3)

Answer 2

Feeling sad for no apparent reason in the world CAN be a sign of depression, although other factors must also be considered. You could just be having a down day. The weather, your amount of sleep, and your physical health can also attribute to feeling sad. If it's cold outside, maybe turning on some bright lights and happy music would help life your spirits. If you haven't been sleeping enough, maybe you should try to get some extra sleep in. I am sure this is not an all inclusive list of things that could be causing you to be unhappy today, but it's a pretty good start. Unless it becomes a part of your regular routine, I would just chalk it up as a down day, but if it continues, please seek a doctor, as depression is not something to play with. Trust me.

Answer 3

Yes it is a result of chems in the brain.....came across this info on the net for you...as to the factors that are involved with depression

Not enough serotonin is produced,
Not enough receptor sites to receiveserotonin,
Serotonin is being taken back up too quickly before it can reach receptor sites,
Chemical precursors (molecules that serotonin is manufactured from) may be in short supply, or
Molecules that facilitate the production of serotonin may be in short supply.
As you can see, if there is a breakdown anywhere along the path, neurotransmitter supplies may not be adequate for your needs. Inadequate supplies lead to the symptoms that we know as depression.

Emotions are just as you questioned a combo of neurotransmitters and brain signals...

Sadness or depression is treated through pharmaceuticals that boost the Seratonin (chemical in brain) Levels

Answer 4

endless changing list is endless, let say u have a biotin deficiency, that's not anything special,it is a B vitamin, and is a product of intestinal bacteria also. the lack of it over a five month period was said to have caused withdrawal, insomnia, irritability, hopelessness and suicidal thoughts, or a lack of B 12could cause behavior so extreme that one person was brought in to the hospital and was put on antisychotic drugs, my point is that allot of us try to diet and miss knowing what is going to happen besides we look good but we feel like hell trying to get the body we want and don't do it right and exercises we just drop super pep pill and don't eat right and almost none of them sleep either, so the way each of us use is different and extreme most of the time, because of lack of time or lack of information or lack of money or all together it causes a mess, the amount of coffee is doing no good either cause of the urine washing out all the stuff that was meant to stay in us runs out every time we go, i take 500 dose of C & B & E & calcium just for stress
coffee-thiamine,C, all minerals
forgetfulness-choline(lecithin),thiamine,iron
concentration-folate,B12,iron
depression-thiamine,riboflavin,B6,B12,folate,pantothenate

the neurotransitters fry my pain centers as a joke too