Abstract
This study examined differences of sadness elicited by six types of situation by using subjective ratings. The previous studies haven't clarified that physiological responses in sadness were uncertain compared with other emotions. These findings suggest one possibility that there are different types of sadness. In order to investigate this assumption, we created a questionnaire composed of descriptive terms to express sadness. The questionnaire was extracted three factors, “tear,” “chest ache,” and “powerless.” Using this, we also examined the time-course change of features of sadness based on six sadness-eliciting situations. Results showed two patterns of change as time progressed. Type 1 is that ratings of three factors maintain high value along time change. This pattern is elicited by situations such as loss, personal injury or disease and loneliness. Type 2 is that ratings decreased over time. This pattern is elicited by situations like unable to achieve a goal, romantic breakup and family friction. In conclusion, considering temporal change, this study revealed two different features showed in three factors suggesting the possibility that different types of sadness were reflected in subjective ratings.
