Our theories of sadness have evolved significantly over the past few thousand years. Ancient Greek doctors believed that sadness was a black liquid coursing through the body. In fact, the word “melancholy” stems from the words “melaina kole,” Greek for “black bile.”
Though scientists now know more about how our bodies process emotions, we still don’t know exactly why we feel sadness. In this TED-Ed lesson, Courtney Stephens examines the history of sadness and offers a few explanations for why it might be a more useful emotion than we’d expect.
