We know that our little toes help us balance, and the hairs on our head keep us warm. But what good does sadness do? How can such a miserable feeling have improved our ancestors’ chances of passing their genes on to the next generation? For some emotions, the benefits are pretty easy to see. Generally, fear is a signal to run away – something that’s going to save your skin when faced with a predator. Similarly, disgust is going to stop you biting into a mouldering pile of rotten food.
Forgas says his research shows that sadness brings benefits that often apply more in the social realm. He offers an example: “Let’s say you are in a group, and you feel that you are not getting on, you’re not being accepted. You would probably find this upsetting and it would put you into a negative mood and it would cause you to pay better attention to what everybody else is saying, pull back a little bit. If you feel sad, it’s basically like a signal, ‘Watch out, don’t push, adapt, pay attention.’ In a way it’s exactly the same kind of alerting signal as fear or disgust but it’s probably a quieter sort of signal.”
