Why do I sometimes enjoy feeling sad?

I think the answer often depends on the person and the given situation. Sometimes it is nice to be able to feel an emotion and have the time to process rather than jumping to a solution and moving on. Feeling emotions are important and it is okay to do so but we have to remember to keep moving because we deserve to be happy. Sometimes it is a matter of change. Sometimes changing emotions or life experiences to do so can be intimidating. Sometimes what we know seems easier than change but change often brings a lot of good. Try to remember that you deserve to feel your emotions but to not dwell in them too long. You deserve happiness, joy, and compassion.

I think that everyone takes gratification in simply feeling what they feel. Perhaps enjoying sadness is just an extension of that. When you permit yourself to feel, you are opening yourself up to vulnerability, and that is a very freeing thing, even enjoyable. So from that, yes, sadness can be enjoyable. You asked why you “sometimes” enjoy feeling sad. So long as you are not always relishing your sadness, I think it is perfectly healthy to occasionally take pleasure in the release of negativity through sadness. Sometimes, we have been happy or even numb for so long that sadness is enjoyable in the fact that it is different.

Sadness is a very tricky feeling. It’s sneaky. It’s dangerous. It can wear a mask of something else. A promising change? Indifference? A form of a coping mechanism? We see its many faces, but we rarely see sadness for what it is — a natural chemical reaction in our brain. It is normal to experience this feeling, and sometimes it comes and goes very unpredictably. If we experience it more often then usual, we can get the feeling of getting used to it. And as we adapt to it, we can see it as something that’s becoming a part of our regular daily experience, which we don’t want to associate with anything unpleasant. So the feeling itself tricks our minds into thinking that we “enjoy” feeling sad, while we, in fact, don’t.

It’s what I would call a “racket” — a way to simulate feeling alive, without actually taking on any more risk or responsibility. There’s this sense that “being alive” is about being emotional and feeling things deeply, and that’s the whole story. So if your normal way of being is kind of lifeless and scared, withdrawn or dull, then any kind of strong emotion is a sort of jolt of aliveness, yes? You feel something, even if it’s sadness. At least you’re not a stone. But the real issue is that you don’t want to be at risk and take responsibility for your life, so you “play it small”. Within your safe little shell, it just isn’t possible to experience life on a scale that would be emotionally rich and fulfilling — that would require you to grow. So this crying alone is a kind of narcotic that provides the illusion of being alive, without all of the messy need to leave your comfy shell.

I think that sometimes when we have felt sad for a long time it becomes kind of like the norm, it becomes comfortable and we know this place of sadness. Therefore when we are happy it feels like we have to stepped away from this safety net that we have, because happiness feels different or uncomfortable. So we try to get back to a place that we know- sadness. It doesn't have to be this way for ever though, you can feel happiness again, and you can enjoy this feeling. If you ever want to chat about it, I am always here for you. Best of luck

I've found that the longer i feel sad or down for, the more comfortable it feels. The brain is reluctant when it comes to change because it can feel scary and overwhelming to deal with emotions and situations that it normally doesn't have to deal with. Enjoying your sad feelings is normal, and comes from familiarity rather than a toxic place. It is an emotion you understand and know how to function around, therefore making it seem more attractive than an emotion such as playfulness as it may not feel like something you know how to deal with. Remembering this can be very helpful when you feel as though you would rather be sad than happy.

I know what you mean, it's almost as if I am addicted to the feeling of sadness sometimes. I guess it's a comfort zone thing? If you are comfortable in that sadness you feel then that brings it's own enjoyment? That's just me guessing though. I think it's quite normal to enjoy it as weird as that sounds, it's almost for me as if I can just laugh it off (depending on what's put me in that sadness) because I know it's temporary and I just try and see the good side or pivot it too how I could help someone who feels the same. Hope this helps in some way.

It is often said that “happiness is a choice.” But then why aren’t more people happy? There’s the theory that people like negative feelings. A study by Eduardo Andrade and Joel Cohen, which evaluated why people enjoy horror movies, concluded that some viewers are happy to be unhappy. The researchers found that people experience both negative and positive emotions at the same time, meaning they not only enjoy the relief they feel when the threat is removed but also enjoy being scared. This same theory, they argued, may help explain why humans are drawn to extreme sports and other risky activities that elicit terror or disgust.

Sometimes, feeling sad lets you know that you're actually capable of feeling things. When you're numb, or otherwise depressed, all the life and emotions are sucked out of you, but when you feel sad, it's just confirmation that you can feel. So you take that, and you feel it to your core and sometimes you feel it so deeply that all you can do is lay in bed and cry and cry and cry. And in that moment, it might make you feel horrible, but you realize that afterwards, you feel better. Because you can feel and there's nothing wrong or abnormal about that.

Feeling sad can show you the downside on life so when you find the upside its worth all the work you put in to get there. Sadness shows you that there is further to fall and always more steps to climb. It gives a better understanding on the world and how we work. No one wants to put in a bunch of work to hit a one time peak. If you are blind to life's mysteries an wonders you wont see there is beauty in the darkness and light. You have to walk through hell and get a little lost sometimes in order to find your way. Feeling sad is enjoyable on occasion because the light can be blinding to the truth.