Before this talk I had always been confused on the exact meaning of melancholy. I am still a bit confused however I now have a general understanding. It was interesting to hear a bit about Sara’s work and to see how sadness and melancholy compare. I am currently taking a class that focuses in the regulation of emotions and other bodily processes so I though this was really interesting. I have never paid much attention to movies in trying to see if a character is experiencing a fleeting bout of sadness or a more long term sense of melancholy. I found Sara’s interpretation of Vertigo to be really interesting even though I have never actually seen the movie.

Overall, I thought this was a great talk on a topic that we do not always discuss. We often discuss a range of emotions whether it is in class or in our personal lives but this rarely ever occurs with specific emotions or moods. I also thought that the classification of melancholy as a mood was interesting. A mood is more encompassing and can have physical as well as mental effects. Melancholy can be accompanied by sadness but may consist of a lack of emotions. I am glad that I attended this talk and I plan on watching Vertigo!