Melancholia was first identified by the Greek physician Hippocrates, who described sufferers as being plagued with ''fears and despondencies''. But due to lack of exact biochemical and clinical ...

In the second of our Art of Feeling series, Kelly Grovier explores how views of despondency have changed over time – and what role it can play in combating despair. Can paintings and drawings help us ...

We spend so much time, thought and energy trying to be happy all the time. Meditating, counselling, self-help books and more. It’s not necessarily bad or counter-productive, but sometimes it’s okay ...

American culture’s overemphasis on happiness misses an essential part of a full life Ours are ominous times. We are on the verge of eroding away our ozone layer. Within decades we could face major ...

Common emotions, such as fear or anger, are usually directed towards identifiable causes—think of a crying kid who has just dropped their ice cream. But melancholy, which British philosopher Emily ...

Burton’s 400-year-old work may be based in long-outmoded medical theories, but pulsates with wit, humanity and energy A 17th-century prose text peppered with Latin and Greek quotations, based on an ...