I’ve blogged and talked about this before… The studies that show the lifespan of an emotion is actually 90 seconds.

And that seems close to impossible to believe right for those of us with anxiety depression grief or struggling with any type of sadness or transition.

It's also a reassuring and comforting thought if we can allow ourselves to at least attempt to believe it. Right?

What if that is true?

A question that one might ask is “if emotions only last 90 seconds why might I feel so bad for so long? Why would I feel anxious for so long? Why does grief last so long?”

There is another study that discusses how certain emotions last longer. That 90 seconds is just how long the chemical response of an emotion lasts. It suggests:

Sadness is the longest lasting of all emotions - that it can be about 120 hours to pass.
Hatred is the second longest and then Joy.
Joy can last about 35 hours.
And guilt lasting longer than shame. (shame is usually a really kind of hot, fiery burst of emotion).
Fear tends to pass a little more quickly and anxiety lasts longer.

What makes sadness last longer? In my opinion and other studies, it is because it is usually chained or connected to other memories or thoughts, which continue to evoke either sadness or grief or shame or regret.

How do you feel when you consider these ideas?

Here’s that article I mentioned: https://www.heysigmund.com/which-emotion-lasts-longer-than-any-other/ https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/284741