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Sadness is unpleasant, and in a society where personal happiness is prized above all else, there is little
tolerance for falling in despair.Especially now we've got drugs for getting rid of sad feelings-whether it's
after losing a job, the breakup of a relationship or the death of a loved one.So it's no surprise that more
and more people are taking them.
But is this really such a good idea?A growing number of voices from the world of mental health
research are saying it isn't.They fear that the increasing tendency to treat normal sadness as a disease is
playing fast and loose (行为轻率). Sadness, they argue, serves a useful purpose-and if we lose it, we
lose out.Yet many psychiatrists (精神病医生) insist not.Sadness has a nasty habit of turning into
depression (抑郁症), they warn.Even when people are sad for good reason, they should take drugs to
make themselves feel better.
So who is right?Is sadness something we cannot live without or something horrible never to touch?
There are lots of ideas about why feeling sad should become part of human life.It may be a
selfprotection strategy, as other primates (灵长类) also show signs of sadness.A losing monkey that
doesn't show sadness after it loses a fight may be seen as continuing to challenge the winning monkey-and
that could result in death.
In humans, sadness has a further function:we may display sadness as a form of communication.By
acting sad, we tell other community members that we need support.
Then there is the idea that creativity is connected to dark moods.There are plenty of great artists,
writers and musicians who have suffered from depression or disorder.Scientists find that people with
signs of depression perform better at a creative task, and that negative moods make people think deeply
over the unhappy experience, which allows creative processes to come to the front.There is also evidence
that too much happiness can be bad for your career.A doctor found that people who scored 8 out of 10
on a happiness test were more successful in income and education than 9s or 10s.The happiest people
lose their willingness to make changes to their lives that may benefit them.
1. The underlined word "this" refers to________.
A. taking drugs
B. falling in despair
C. losing a job
D. feeling sad
2. The author believes sadness is________.
A. a good thing for people's health
B. something horrible never to touch
C. a necessary function of humans
D. always to be treated as depression
3. Some animals show their sadness in order to________.
A. cheat their enemy
B. protect themselves
C. comfort the loser
D. challenge the winner
4. We can infer from the last paragraph that________.
A. people with great creativity tend to be happier
B. unhappy experiences contribute to a greater career
C. too much happiness can be bad for your career
D. the happiest people are the most successful ones
