MyDepressionList

Nowadays, there is a real cult of positive emotions. A successful person should live in harmony and happiness, and melancholy is the lot of the weak. But in the 16th century, sadness was in vogue: it was believed that people who experienced it often were better able to cope with the blows of fate. Special self-improvement guides were even published, designed to teach people how to evoke this feeling. They contained a list of reasons worthy of causing distress. The ability to deliberately fall into sadness was a source of pride.