How to Tell When a Person is Feeling Down:
Reading the Body Language of Sadness

Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions, and generally the easiest to cure. Unfortunately, many depressed individuals don't get the help they need. Most of the time, people with this condition miss the radar; loved ones, friends and co-workers fail to read their signs of sadness.

The following are the body language of sadness that you can watch out for:

Lethargy

People who are sad find it hard to be enthusiastic about anything that is going on around them. Sadness is a draining emotion; it can zap you of drive and zest for life. When you're sad, work and play have no appeal. Even being around people becomes too much effort; even the most casual of conversations can get very tiring.

Sadness can therefore be signaled by a marked drop in energy: drooping posture, a flat tone of voice, and movements that are slower than the person's usual pace. It may also be indicated by the difficulty in keeping one's head up and maintaining eye contact. Gestures are limited and are often jerky.

When you're in conversation with a sad person, you'll see that their facial expressions tend to be always blank. It's like they can hear you but they don't see. It also takes them seconds longer than their usual to comprehend what you're saying and provide a response. Thus, it is not unusual for a sad person to smile at a joke seconds after everyone gets it. They may even miss your points altogether.

Note: some sad people are great fakers. Watch out for exaggerated enthusiasm: overly-loud voices, tight smiles and vigorous nodding. These people may just be masking their lack of energy by pretending to be interested.

Tears

The most common physiological reaction to sadness is watering of the eyes. The reason people cry when they are sad is unknown, but the best way to tell sadness is the presence of tears. Tears are often accompanied by trembling of the lips, a downward slope of the mouth, and rapid blinking. They may turn their head down or cover their eye area to hide their tears. Subtle wiping of tears, such as pretending to remove oil from their cheeks, may also indicate tears.

Sometimes, tears are consciously held back. This happens when a person does not want to show vulnerability to others, or they don't want to attend yet to their grief and pain. When a person is holding back their tears, their eyes can become glassy and/ or bloodshot. Their effort to control themselves may also be seen in clenching of the fists and rapid drawing of breath. In some cases, people in tears feel like they have a lump in their throat, making them to prone to a lot of throat-clearing and swallowing.

Heartbreak

All of our emotional centers can be found in our brains, but there is a reason why the heart is commonly perceived as the seat of all feelings: sadness can be felt as either a constricting weight over one's chest or the difficulty breathing. Sometimes it's both. Like the phenomenon of tears, scientists still don't know how sadness and chest pain is connected, but it's a universally reaction that many take as fact.

Sadness therefore can be manifested by actions meant to relieve pain in the chest area. This can include rubbing one's chest or taking large gulps of air. Some can even be found hitting their chest with clenched fist. All of these are unconscious attempts to comfort one's self, at the very least alleviate the symptoms of sadness.

Irregular Voice

Sadness, especially one that a person is trying to hide, can often be read through his and her voice. In fact, if a person is skilled at hiding his emotions, the consistency in his vocal tone, pitch, rhythm, and inflection are good indicators of private distress. The difference between how a person speaks when talking about generic topics and when discussing anxiety-provoking topics would signal you that the individual might not be as calm as they seem.

Speaking in a volume softer than what is typical of the person can be an indication of sadness. Even if a person is smiling, or gives the appearance of being excitable, a sudden drop in volume would tell you that the person is talking about something he or she finds painful to talk about. A 'catch' in one's tone may also be a sign of sadness.

It is important that we understand the body language of sadness. While sadness is a normal reaction to loss and pain, it can get overwhelming for the person experiencing it. Sadness, left unattended, can progress to depression --- a debilitating mental health condition that can seriously affect one's quality of life.

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Body Language Articles

How to Tell When a Person is Feeling Down: Reading the Body Language of Sadness

Body Language Articles

How to Tell When a Person is Feeling Down:
Reading the Body Language of Sadness