Skip to main content

A brief history of melancholy - Courtney Stephens

1,504,844 Views

16,901 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

If you are a living, breathing human being, chances are you have felt sad at least a few times in your life. But what exactly is melancholy, and what (if anything) should we do about it? Courtney Stephens details our still-evolving understanding of sadness -- and even makes a case for its usefulness.

Contemporary ideas about the neurochemical nature of depression has some parallel with ancient Greek ideas about melancholy because:

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Courtney Stephens
  • Director Sharon Colman Graham
  • Composer Peter Gosling
  • Script Editor Addison Anderson
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

More from The Big Questions