Sadness Created 2026-10-24 Updated 2026-11-05
Sadness is an unpleasant emotion commonly associated with loss, disappointment or reduced access to a valued goal. Studies distinguish the immediate feeling from its intensity, duration and accompanying behavior. For example, a brief response to a sad story is different from persistent depressed mood accompanied by functional impairment. The emotion name alone does not establish a clinical diagnosis of depression. [ref]