So much is expected of us now as humans, especially with the advent of robotics. Even though they are artificial, they can react to input, stimuli, and situations. This made me imagine the French experience in the 17th century at the renowned French Royal Gardens of Versailles. Although powered by water back then, specific reactions were triggered by simply approaching statues or stepping on certain stones in the garden. If inanimate objects like statues could react without electricity, one can only imagine the reactions generated now with AI and other highly wired bots et al.
Robots can’t do many things, such as have feelings and show emotions. So, being torn between materialism and dualism, with the former highly backed by science, how would the latter be explained or conceptualised as what sets us apart? Reaction differs from feeling, although one sets the other off and vice versa. Reactions are immediate automatic responses to stimuli or situations, often driven by instinct, habit, or conditioning. They can be physical or verbal and may not involve conscious thought or emotional processing.
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On the contrary, feelings are subjective emotional experiences that arise from conscious awareness. They involve evaluating and interpreting situations and stimuli. Feelings can be complex and sometimes nuanced, with degrees of intimidation or a combination of two opposing feelings, such as experiencing happiness and sadness simultaneously. Emotions require some level of cognitive processing and self-awareness that are yet to be created in robots.
As highlighted last week, sadness is a primary emotion that forms the foundation of some complex social and self-conscious emotions, such as envy, grief, guilt, shame, jealousy, resentment, indignation, embarrassment, and self-pity. As a fundamental human emotion, sadness is crucial to our emotional and mental wellbeing.
For example, an experience of loss, separation, or disappointment can trigger heaviness from an emotional response of sadness. During this period, the brain’s emotional centres process the information and release neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. This chemical release often leads to a physiological response where the body reacts with physical cues like slowed heart rate, decreased energy, tears or crying, slumped posture or slow movement, and changed appetite or sleep patterns. The individual’s feelings of emptiness, sorrow, or grief can manifest as feeling blue or down, losing interest in activities, concentration difficulty, and hopelessness or helplessness.
Social support is one of the coping mechanisms someone may employ in addressing sadness. This can be done by avoiding self-isolation and seeking social support by talking to trusted friends and family. Another coping mechanism is emotional expression, such as writing, art, and music. Distraction by engaging in activities that will take your mind off the experience and self-care, such as exercise, medication, and relaxation, is highly recommended. Just like happiness, sadness also wears out. So, over time, through support and coping, the intensity of sorrow subsides as the person begins to heal and move forward.
In summary, sadness is a natural and necessary emotion that allows us to process and deal with challenging situations. It’s essential to acknowledge and validate feelings of sadness, as suppressing or denying them may cause the following:
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Emotional numbing: A condition where an individual cannot feel and express emotions. This state can ultimately lead to numbness and disconnection, which can degenerate into mental health issues, especially when suppressed or denied with symptoms like depression and anxiety.
Physical health problems: The individual may experience chronic stress, a weakened immune system, and physical symptoms like headaches or digestive issues. Also, an unaddressed sadness or grief can prolong the grieving process and hinder healing.
Strained relationships: The individual may struggle to empathise or connect with others, leading to strained relationships. Bottling up these emotions can increase stress and affect daily life and overall well-being.
Loss of personal growth: Suppressing sadness can prevent learning from experiences and personal growth. It also reduces resilience, such as the ability to cope with future challenges and setbacks.
Addictive behaviours: Using substances or developing behaviours to avoid feelings often leads to addiction. Shame and self-blame, like negative self-talk and self-blame, can arise from suppressed emotions, too.
Call to action:
Grief is a negative emotion deeply rooted in sadness. If not properly dealt with, it can take years to snowball into something terrible. Have you ever experienced grief? If yes, how did you handle it? Do share by emailing [email protected].
Olayinka Opaleye is a Wellbeing Specialist and Corporate Wellness Strategist. She can also be reached via Tel: 09091131150 or by clicking on www.linkedin.com/in/olayinkaopaleye.
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