Sadness

Minimal Sadness

Expressions activating this band show no clear sorrowful tone and are largely neutral, fragmentary, or unrelated to feeling sad. When emotion appears, it is too weak or nonspecific to indicate a sustained sad state.

Mild Sadness

Expressions activating this band convey early or mixed emotional distress, with sadness appearing alongside restriction, unease, loss, or disrupted life expectations. The sorrow is recognizable but not yet the dominant or fully elaborated emotional state.

Moderate Sadness

Expressions activating this band directly convey feeling sad, helpless, alone, or sorry for oneself. Sadness is personally felt and begins to interfere with outlook, coping, or engagement with others.

High Sadness

Expressions activating this band portray sustained sadness tied to loss, reduced freedom, changed expectations, inadequacy, or diminished happiness. The emotional pain is clearly integrated into how the person understands their situation and future.

Severe Sadness

Expressions activating this band depict intense sorrow in strongly negative, tragic, pitiable, or self-denigrating terms. Sadness is experienced as acute emotional suffering with a starkly bleak tone.

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Anchor definitions