Can being sad be a habit?

Question

how about being happy?!

Answer 1

Being sad can indeed be a habit. It can be caused by a chemical inbalance or a mental state (temperament) that the ancient used to refer to as "Melancholia". It came from the word "Melancholic". Which is the personality of an individual characterized by black bile; hence (Greek μελας, melas, "black", + χολη, kholé, "bile"); a person who was a thoughtful ponderer had a melancholic disposition. Often very kind and considerate, melancholics can be highly creative - as in poets and artists - but also can become overly obsessed on the tragedy and cruelty in the world, thus becoming depressed. It also indicates the season of autumn (dry and cold) and the element of earth. A melancholy is also often a perfectionist, being very particular about what they want and how they want it in some cases. This often results in being unsatisfied with one's own artistic or creative works, always pointing out to themselves what could and should be improved.

This temperament describes the depressed phase of a bipolar disorder.

There is no bodily fluid corresponding to black bile. However, the medulla of the adrenal glands decomposes very rapidly after death, and it is possible that this product is the mythical "black bile".

The opposite, Sanguine indicates the personality of an individual with the temperament of blood, the season of spring (wet and hot), and the element of air. A person who is sanguine is generally optimistic, cheerful, even-tempered, confident, rational, popular, and fun-loving. They can be daydreamy to the point of not accomplishing anything and impulsive, acting on whims in an unpredictable fashion. Sanguines usually have a lot of energy, but have a problem finding a way to direct the energy. This also describes the manic phase of a bipolar disorder.

Answer 2

Being sad or happy is not something you do. It is who you are. It is like asking if a woman has the habit of having a womb or if a priest has the habit of knowing about his religion. The only person who can make you sad or happy is you, not other people and not the things you do or that are done to you. If you perceive yourself as being unhappy, you are. If you perceive yourself as being happy, you are. People equate happiness with pleasure. But that is not right. You can have many pleasures and still be unhappy. And you can feel pain but still be happy. For example, if you lose someone whom you love, you will feel the pain of the loss. Does that mean you are an unhappy person? I don't think so. Being vulnerable to pain and pleasure is part of being a whole human being. Happiness is a state of mind that is there all the time, regardless of pain or pleasure.

Answer 3

No the feeling of sadness is an emotion which cannot be controlled. If u FEEL sad for longer than 2-3 weeks then you can be seen as possibly having depression depending on other outside factors such as a death or a break up in a relationship. If emotion was a habit then you could argue that depression is a habit and not an illness which isn't the case.

Answer 4

I don't think being sad can't be a "habit" but it can definitely become part of your "routine" If you are sad at a certain part of the day, then after a while your brain associates this time with that sort of mood making you more prone to be sad at this part of the day. This goes for any mood weather it be sad, happy, excited etc.
Your mood can also depend on your age, eg through adolescence some teenagers may be a lot more likely to become moody at specific times of the day, and this isn't routine or habit it's "mood" which is affected by hormones.
There are many things which can influence your emotions, but in my opinion it has nothing to do with "habit!"
Rachel (age 12)

Answer 5

I often wonder this myself. I think that it definitely can be. The reason I think this is because I struggle with sadness myself and I do notice that I can drop into being negative until I consciously make an effort to turn my thoughts into positive ones (therefore creating a habit of positivity which hopefully, and often, leads to happiness). It's the same as swearing - you know if you hang around people who use a lot of bad language you can often find yourself dropping into it more? I also think some people are more susceptible than others (maybe a more addictive type personality)

Answer 6

I sometimes think being happy or sad is a state of mind - you are in control of your thoughts and how you let things affect you. Sometimes, people only seem to be happy if they're sad about something (if you get my drift?!!). Having said that, everyone is genuninely sad at certain times - I think looking on the positive side of things helps and also finding happiness in the small things in life like the sun shining or the birds singing, or a beautiful sunset. Some people just love to wallow in "sadness" when actually they have a lot to be thankful for.

Answer 7

for sure being sad is definately a habit.. I know sometimes you cannot do without but you can condition yor mind to be more happy than usual .. I mean anytime you are sad there is always a reason behind it .. stop thinking about his reason and think just about your desire to be happy at that blessed moment .. if oyu increase the moments . then you would realise you have already increaded your amount of happy moment.......
i would like to say here that ther is also some chemical part of emotions which could easily be over seen. what i mean is hormonal balance plays a major role in your personal wellbeing.. yo can figure it out by thinking about how you feel when you consume alcohol for example and how you feel the next day..
to cut things short .. by living healthy .. good food , good sleep , less drugs , sports .. you can also conditiion yourself to feel happier...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 8

Being sad, miserable, negative, depressed, there are many states of mind there.

Some are due to a chemical shortage or something like that, but mostly due to environment, childhood, genes, but one can attempt and often succeed in becoming more positive thinking,
And this seems to work for many people I know, self prophesy if you like, think positive, you will become positive, if you think negative, you can guarantee the results!

Think HAPPY and BE HAPPY!

Answer 9

True, there are people who are more prone to depression, and those just naturally pessimistic and cynical. But I've often thought of our minds as being like a computer which simply programs what we dictate to it. Why not re-enforce the philosophy that life is good? Good things can just as easily happen as bad? Terrible things happen, but so do miracles in the world. So why not concentrate on them?

Answer 10

Being sad is romanticized - people have to eat don't they? After all, self-centered behavior is all the rave. Until people figure out there's a huge whole in their pocket not to mention life's a mess.

Yes, howabout that peacefulness it spreads as well ; )