I suspect that our brain is wired to be more attentive when sad to ensure survival in a situation that might be life threatening. I am curious whether sadness is triggered by or a product of our fight/flight/freeze response, or at least interacts with it. In any case, the happiness "gene" certainly can be tough for some people to find and hold on to!
ORIGINAL COMMENT
I suspect that our brain is wired to be more attentive when sad to ensure survival in a situation that might be life threatening. I am curious whether sadness is triggered by or a product of our fight/flight/freeze response, or at least interacts with it. In any case, the happiness "gene" certainly can be tough for some people to find and hold on to!