Do sad, tragic stories make you depressed?

[BlackKnightX]

A guy recommended me watching Angel Beats, which I know have a sad ending. In fact, I've been putting this one off for almost a decade now.

I've read that tragedy and sad ending are a good way to give you a sense of catharsis, releasing all the pent up emotions. But I've also read that some people avoid it completely because it doesn't help at all; it actually makes them even more depressed.

Which camp are you in? Do you think sad, tragic stories—stories with sad, tragic endings—make you have a negative outlook in life?

 

[SailusGebel]

 

[BlackKnightX]

Bruh.

Elaborate.

 

[Corty]

Depends on how involved I am with the characters. There were some VNs that fucked me up for weeks.

 

[Daitengu]

I'm already permanently depressed and have been for 25 years now. Depressed as in "it's a good day when I forget about suicide" kind of depressed. So I avoid tragic grimdark, and dark stories like the plague. I already get enough depressing shit form the news, no need for my fantasy time to also be depressing. Like, did you know the USA CDC and FBI totally fucked off an illegal Chinese biolab in Cali with atleast a half dozen viruses in it? I sure do.

 

[SailusGebel]

Elaborate.

It really depends on a story. There is no way to categorize it. Sometimes tragic stories are not really tragic, so I won't get depressed, sometimes a bittersweet ending will hit me right in the kokoro, and so on. Even something cheerful and bright can make me sad, though it's really rare.

 

[DemonOppai]

Yep I feel it more since I’m more invested. Especially in books I have to much empathy for my own good

 

[BlackKnightX]

There were some VNs that fucked me up for weeks.

Did you get tougher mentally after that? I've watched a fair share of tragedy, believe it or not. The Walking Dead is full of them, but in TV Series, you have time to deal with it while being with other characters. If it's the ending, though, that's another story altogether.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

A guy recommended me watching Angel Beats, which I know have a sad ending. In fact, I've been putting this one off for almost a decade now.

I've read that tragedy and sad ending are a good way to give you a sense of catharsis, releasinig all the pent up emotions. But I've also read that some people avoid it completely because it doesn't help at all; it actually makes them even more depressed.

Which camp are you in? Do you think sad, tragic stories—stories with sad, tragic endings—make you have a negative outlook in life?

nah i like drama and tragic stuff---i dont partake in them often, but those i do tend to stick. I just find them interesting, it doesnt make me all sad myself.

that said i dont like things like gratuitous sexual abuse outside of hentai. Im fine with it in an MC but i dont like female leads or heroines having to experience that stuff

 

[NotaNuffian]

Ya I will.

I am an emotional cunt.

Kind of why I steer clear of tragedy, my life is half of it, I don't need my source of entertainment to be it too.

 

[Corty]

Did you get tougher mentally after that? I've watched a fair share of tragedy, believe it or not. The Walking Dead is full of them, but in TV Series, you have time to deal with it while being with other characters. If it's the ending, though, that's another story altogether.

This "getting tougher mentally" thing is utter stupidity, in my opinion.

What does that even mean? That you stop caring? Do you forget how to lose yourself in a fictional medium? Stop enjoying them? Isn't that what their whole goal is?

No. I did not get stronger then. And I don't want to.

I want to sit down and enjoy these stories, letting them evoke feelings, be they sad, happy, or whatever in between. That is why they exist. I don't want to get "tougher" and no longer enjoy my favorite medium.

This whole "you need to get tougher" mentality is toxic nonsense. Own your feelings and be proud of them.

Yeah, I cry at the end of Forest Gump every time I see it. Fuck anyone who has a problem with that.

 

[SailusGebel]

This "getting tougher mentally" thing is utter stupidity, in my opinion.

What does that even mean? That you stop caring? Do you forget how to lose yourself in a fictional medium? Stop enjoying them? Isn't that what their whole goal is?

No. I did not get stronger then. And I don't want to.

I want to sit down and enjoy these stories, letting them evoke feelings, be they sad, happy, or whatever in between. That is why they exist. I don't want to get "tougher" and no longer enjoy my favorite medium.

This whole "you need to get tougher" mentality is toxic nonsense. Own your feelings and be proud of them.

Yeah, I cry at the end of Forest Gump every time I see it. Fuck anyone who has a problem with that.

based

 

[BlackKnightX]

This "getting tougher mentally" thing is utter stupidity, in my opinion.

What does that even mean? That you stop caring? Do you forget how to lose yourself in a fictional medium? Stop enjoying them? Isn't that what their whole goal is?

No. I did not get stronger then. And I don't want to.

I want to sit down and enjoy these stories, letting them evoke feelings, be they sad, happy, or whatever in between. That is why they exist. I don't want to get "tougher" and no longer enjoy my favorite medium.

This whole "you need to get tougher" mentality is toxic nonsense. Own your feelings and be proud of them.

Yeah, I cry at the end of Forest Gump every time I see it. Fuck anyone who has a problem with that.

It's actually a very common medical knowledge, though.. When your stress level raises, endorphin is released to dull it down. And your stress threshold or pain tolerance becomes higher. In a layman term, you become case-hardened. You deal with pain or stress better.

 

[TotallyHuman]

A sad story will maybe make me feel a bit more excited for a while. I dunno, I guess I enjoy it?
Don't fucking me @BlackKnightX, I don't mean that kind of excited!

 

[Lloyd]

Why would a fictional story change your outlook on life? What are you fucking retarded?

 

[Whitephantom]

i write sad stories shooot, to me it can add in emotional temperament towards characters and the story

 

[BlackKnightX]

Why would a fictional story change your outlook on life? What are you fucking retarded?

Okie, I've finally got my real life example right here. No further answer needed, folks. Thank you.

Hope you get better. Keep tragedy at a minimum, alright?

 

[ArchlordZero]

I don't need to read depressing stories.
My life is sad and tragic as it is.

 

[Rhaps]

Anything wrote by Mizuki Nomura will make me a sobbing mess.

 

[J_Chemist]

I have cried at the end of some anime, movies, books, etc. Sometimes a good song will drive my emotions (which is why I listen to some violent stuff at the gym). Does it change my outlook on life? No. Do I get more depressed? Maybe for a moment or two, as it reminds me of my own issues that I have to deal with, but I get over it. It's fiction, after all, and a good story deserves a fair response. It's the same for when we cheer for a hero or laugh at a joke.

I'm not going to off myself anytime soon because I'm a coward so being depressed/sad is a waste of time and energy. Depression is an excuse to be a wallowing sack of self pity, and I ain't got time for that. I got weight to lift and people to piss off with my existence.