Op-Ed: Sad, bad moods are good for you

An Australian study has come up with results that some people will find very reassuring: Being a sad grump is good. It makes you more alert, less gullible, and improves memory functions. Snarl healthily, and read on.

According to the study by Professor Joseph Forgas at the University of New South Wales, it also improves the critical function. Apparently people in bad moods pay more attention to their surroundings, too. Does this mean the Sunshine and Lollipops fanatics are the fizzy idiots most people with operating brains have always thought they were? Unclear, but Forgas’ study balances things quite nicely, as the ABC quotes:

"Whereas positive mood seems to promote creativity, flexibility, cooperation, and reliance on mental shortcuts, negative moods trigger more attentive, careful thinking paying greater attention to the external world," writes Forgas in the November/December edition of Australasian Science.

(To be published later this month.) This affects the decision making process. It looks like a bad mood means you’re actually less likely to make snap decisions. Sad people are also more expressive writers, making their cases better. Interestingly, the study also indicates that being “mildly negative” makes people more effective communicators and exercising better judgment. The “less gullible” part of this idea backs up a lot of folklore, and actual culture. In literature, even ancient literature, the naïve person is always the trusting, uncritical soul whose relationship with the world seems bizarre. Writers like the effervescent Herman Hesse and others, who dwelt in the introspective depths, have always struck a chord with readers who don’t want to wallow in the ephemera. The current Emo culture is another case in point, even if the current version sounds like angst for the sake of angst. If you can remember Emo’s predecessors, the Lost Generation and the 60s Alienated Youth, some of the world’s most brilliant writers and songwriters came out of those cultures. In the interests of public health: If you want a grumpy soundtrack, try this: • Sounds of Silence: Simon and Garfunkel • I Am A Rock: Simon and Garfunkel • Paint it Black: The Rolling Stones • The Stranger Song: Leonard Cohen • Suffer the Little Children: Buffy Sainte Marie • Tomorrow Wendy: Concrete Blonde • Been Down So Long: The Doors • No Milk Today: Herman’s Hermits • Layla: (original) Derek and the Dominoes (Eric Clapton) • Working Class Hero: John Lennon • It is a Good Day to Die: Robbie Robertson and the Red Road Ensemble • Toussaint L’Ouverture: Santana • I Saw The Best Minds Of My Generation Rot (The Fugs) Books: • Goodbye To All That: Robert Graves • 1984: George Orwell • Brave New World: Aldous Huxley • Chinese history from the Opium Wars until the recent past. If you’re living anywhere near Wall Street, you might want to open a clinic.