 Do you believe in the idea that we are ultimately in charge of our own happiness, and that happiness is always a choice? Throughout history, there have been plenty of great examples of individuals who have found happiness in spite of even the most dire of circumstances People like Anne Frank and Malala Yusufsai They've become symbols of the bound to full resilience, hope, optimism, and fighting spirit that we all have inside of us Perhaps one of the most moving of all is the life of Eva Moszkoor, a Romanian-born American Holocaust survivor. Eva and her twin sister Miriam were subjected to cruel human experimentation at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II, and yet in spite of all of those years that she suffered at the hands of the Nazis Eva dedicated most of her later life trying to locate other survivors of the experiments and founded a humanitarian organization that vowed not only to tell the story of these victims But to preach values of love, peace, and forgiveness above all else But if these stories are anything to go by Then why aren't more people happy? And why does it seem so hard for the rest of us? Well, psychology tells us that it's not actually that simple and that there's a lot more to happiness than we think In fact, some people can even fear happiness and become addicted to sadness instead But with that said, here are six psychology-backed reasons why you might be addicted to sadness Number one, learned helplessness. A concept first studied by psychologist Martin Seligman Learned helplessness is defined as a sense of powerlessness Often arising from a traumatic event or persistent failure to succeed That tends to develop into depressive and self-destructive behavioral patterns and tendencies Simply put, learned helplessness is what happens when you've been chronically abused and traumatized to the point where you no longer believe it possible That things will ever get better Tragedy and suffering have played such a large role in your life for so long You start to think there's nothing you can do to change things for the better anymore Then you become resigned, hopeless and addicted to sadness Number two, positive reinforcement Another reason why we may become addicted to sadness is if it is positively reinforced in us Positive reinforcement happens when a desirable stimulus reinforces a certain behavior in us, making it more likely to reoccur Simply put, when we are rewarded and enabled for our sadness It's all too easy to become addicted to it and get stuck in our ways An example would be if constantly playing the victim and needing to be saved from your own sadness Is the only way you've learned how to get close to others and gain the care and attention of your loved ones Number three, choice theory pioneered by world-renowned psychotherapist William Glasser Choice theory in a nutshell Posits that we are all responsible for what we choose to do and that we're much more in control of our lives than we realize In fact, Glasser once famously said that we choose everything we do Including the misery we feel So according to choice theory, you might be addicted to sadness because you are be it knowingly or unknowingly Choosing to punish yourself with these feelings So think long and hard Is there anything you feel guilty about in your life that might cultivate such feelings of self-loathing? number four unhealed trauma Similar to the last point trauma can often lead to an unconscious desire for unhappiness in our lives especially if left unresolved Why? Because more often than not those who have suffered a traumatic experience have a hard time moving on from their past and Instead fall into the trap of denial Negativity and self-sabotage They become resistant to positive change because happiness safety and security just seem so scary and unfamiliar to them now In their minds, happiness is fleeting and transient. So why bother trying to chase after it when you'll only end up disappointed? number five low self-esteem Some people also become addicted to sadness as a result of having low self-esteem Deeply rooted in securities and a lack of self-worth can lead them to believe that they don't deserve to be happy They're extremely harsh and critical towards themselves and often find it difficult to overcome their own sense of self-pity They're quick to blame themselves for everything that goes wrong in their lives Even if they have no control over it and are often plagued by feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy and number six undiagnosed mental health issues Finally, but perhaps most importantly a hyper fixation on one's own sadness can be a key indicator that someone is suffering from an undiagnosed mental health issue whether it's anxiety depression PTSD borderline personality disorder or something else entirely People struggling with an undiagnosed mental illness will have a harder time than most regulating their emotions and overcoming feelings of sadness and distress and The longer they go without getting the help they need the harder it'll be for them to overcome their mental illness That's why it's so important that if you or anyone you know is struggling with their mental health To not hesitate to reach out to a mental health care professional right away And if you relate to any of the things we've mentioned here and feel it applies to your situation right now Seek help and open up about it to someone you trust the sooner you can break the habit of being addicted to your own sadness The better your life will be So what's your reason for being addicted to sadness and how do you plan to overcome it?