Surprisingly despite the efforts of Grief Counseling to help individuals restore balance, meaning, and biological, mental and social functioning to life, sadness and even depression has deeper evolutionary and adaptive values. Depression itself is obviously a pathology and sadness or grief is not. Sadness though has many benefits, and even in some cases, depression served its purpose for humanity’s ancient ancestors.
Like anger or other emotions that respond to stress to help activate the fight or flight response, sadness also has purposes in helping the body recover as well as helping the body survive the change process of loss. In addition, sadness has multiple social benefits. So while, everyone wishes to be happy, sadness is a natural result to change and an important one. Grief Counselors can help individuals again find osmosis in life, but the temporary stints of sadness that human beings experience are crucial to human existence. These emotions cannot be dismissed as inherently evil but as necessary emotions in a world that is far from perfect. The emotions of sadness such should be accepted but monitored properly so they promote the self healing necessary instead of the long term damage of these emotions found in depression or even prolonged grief itself
Sadness, and in some cases depression, served to humanity’s ancient ancestors as something that could increase the change of survival. Withdraw, lack of energy and lost of interest in activities could keep ancient individuals safe from harm and danger in a prehistoric world. While processing grief and loss, the individual would be more prone to stay in a safer place, isolated from the dangers of a savage world. While these symptoms today are far less desirable in the modern world, they still serve a temporary function to allow the body to heal from the distress. With immune systems lowered, staying home and feeling the grief may be the best answer.
Sadness also affects the mind and emotions in a variety of ways due to various changes in brain chemistry. Individuals who are sad tend to have sharper memories than when happy. A negative mood tends to improve attention to detail as opposed to a happier mood which can become less focused on details due to the euphoric state. Believe it or not, negative emotions can also increase motivation. When one thinks of sadness, individuals think of unmotivated individuals but this is only initially. When bad things happen, the mind can also become more motivated to fix situations and make them better. There is a motivation to leave the unpleasant state.
Socially, sadness also plays a key role. Through tears or behaviors of withdraw, it communicates the need for communal help. The function of sadness communicates to family and friends that something is wrong with an individual. Honest Signaling Theory emphasizes that sadness communicates sadness to others within the society. The sign of sadness not only is negative to the sufferer, but also to the family or community. Bargaining Theory looks at the damage to the society as a whole when someone cannot operate a certain level. This was true in prehistoric times especially but is also true in the modern world, when a particular family member plays a crucial role to the family’s survival.
In prehistoric times, sadness also could play a role in hierarchal social structure. If one felt more negative about life, it would induce compliance to the more assertive individuals. This in turn could protect the totality of the clan or group in allowing the mentally stronger to lead hence promoting survival of the whole. This is referred to as Rank Theory. Forming cooperative bonds with others to reduce risk of exclusion from social relationships places a key role here and is emphasized more in Social Risk Hypothesis. Again, in the prehistoric world, this was vital to survival but in the modern world, plays a detrimental role.
Biologically, the body when it responds to pain withdraws from the pain. The nerves signal to the brain that something is not right or bad. Likewise, mental anguish also notifies the mind that something is not right. A loss of family is detrimental to the structure and existence of all involved. This type of pain hence creates a natural withdraw from the painful stimuli. The withdraw can allow the mind time to heal and focus on the issue. This hypothesis is known as the Psychic Pain Hypothesis. Of course, only short term withdraw and avoidance is healthy and any long term examples of this can be detrimental.
Another similar theory is the Behavioral Shutdown Model, which emphasis of risk and reward. Again, during initial sadness, the risk of activity is higher than the reward, which mentally and emotionally pushes one to avoid. The body itself becomes more tired due to grief and stress and again this is a self defense mechanism, but only in normal amounts, as opposed to depression and prolonged grief. Overtime, a learned helplessness can result in which when an animal is placed in a situation outside its control, it adopts a helplessness. Prehistoric humans through helplessness could find the time and duration to rest to avoid danger, but in today’s modern world, any type of prolonged helplessness can be detrimental.
Another hypothesis is Analytical Rumination. When grief strikes, an individual’s brain is more focused. It focuses on the loss, the memories and the incidents surrounding the loss. When in a negative emotion, it is important to focus on the problem and find ways to make it better. This type of motivation to correct a wrong coincides with sadness. However, if in excess, this type of continued obsessive thinking and worrying can be a potential onset to depression.
Regardless of theories above, it is obvious sadness plays a function in life and a positive one if in the right doses. While Grief Counselors look to help an individual navigate sadness, they do not seek to remove it because it is crucial in the adaptation to the loss. It must play its role for a healthy outcome.
Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Training Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Grief Counseling.
Sources
Evolutionary Approaches to Depression-Wikipedia
Four Ways Sadness May Be Good For You by Joseph Forgas
The Evolutionary Advantage of Depression by Brian Gabriel