When you have to appear sad in person or during a presentation, you will have to rely on immediate signs to convey the desired emotion as quickly as possible. In these cases, you only have a single impression or a few moments to convince others that you are sad or depressed. You will not have time to make it long to convince them. When you have little time, it is important to remember that sadness is not just a mental emotion, but is a state of the body, one of the 6 basic emotions. You have to do the correct posture with your whole body to transmit signs of sadness.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Appear sad in person
Step 1. Have sad thoughts so that you can generate real sadness
The best way to appear sad in person is to be truly sad. Sometimes this is accomplished by focusing on sad thoughts or memories. Try to focus on one or more of the following:
- The loss of a loved one you could never say goodbye to.
- Your own death and the limited time you have to live.
- A tragic childhood mistake that cannot be resolved or compensated for.
- We warn you that appearing sad will actually make you sad. Be careful about pretending it for too long.
Step 2. Have a sad facial expression
Humans are social animals that communicate mostly through facial expressions and non-verbal means. Learning the most important facial expressions is a great start when you want to appear sad. Try the following:
- Frown and pout. Both expressions are common signs of sadness.
- Lower your gaze and turn your face in the opposite direction of the person you are talking to. Like you're hiding or embarrassed.
- He frowns and frowns to show nervousness, dismay, frustration, or disgust.
- To appear resigned or exasperated, raise your eyebrows as if in prolonged surprise. This will convey a "I still can't believe things are this bad."
Step 3. Convey sadness with your body language
The most recent studies suggest that looking sad has more to do with general body language than facial expressions. Other studies suggest that when trying to interpret emotions in others, the focus is on the person's chest for non-verbal signs. If you want your act of sadness to appear much more realistic, show signs of depression with your whole body and try the following:
- Slump your shoulders and trunk to show exhaustion and insecurity from sadness.
- Turn your body in the opposite direction of the person you are talking to. Like you're protecting yourself from more emotional blows.
- Close your body and fold your arms at chest level to symbolize that you are closed to the possibility of someone encouraging you.
- Touch your face to show a key gesture of sadness and self-comfort.
Step 4. Show signs of crying
We all know that crying is a key sign of sadness and depression, so putting on a face that you have spent the last few hours crying can be very effective in convincing the person in front of you that you are sad.
- Rub your eyes hard so that small tears come out and the area is visibly red.
- Why pretend to cry when you can really do it? There are good instant crying methods that can make you more skilled in the art of sadness.
Step 5. Take a deep breath
Sighing is a universal sign of sadness and one done at the right time can make the person in front of you recognize it and even respond to your sadness subconsciously.
Step 6. Appear not to be sleeping well lately
One of the most important signs of sadness and depression is lack of sleep. Outside of that, lack of sleep is also one of the easiest features to recognize on someone's face. Thanks to these facts, lack of sleep is a good element to include in your act. Try the following:
- Yawn silently. You are more likely to yawn louder when you wake up in the morning, but yawn more quietly to communicate your need for sleep.
- Close your eyes and sigh as if only that moment of rest will help you.
Step 7. Give signs of feeling disturbed, distracted, or even a little forgetful
Sad people withdraw from the world and are less interested in what is going on around them. You will seem sadder in a face-to-face meeting if you appear distant and absorbed in your own thoughts.
- You seem to have lost interest in the things you used to enjoy. For example, pretend that you didn't see the most recent sporting event and that you don't care about the outcome.
- Start to say something, but then stop as if the communication is no longer important to you.
- Play with things absentmindedly, for example the edge of your sleeve, twigs or leaves, peeling paint, etc.
Step 8. Appear socially disconnected by refusing to commit to future plans and avoiding joyous social activities
If you want to appear genuinely sad, you must give the impression that you want to continue to be sad. That is, stay away from others and resist their attempts to encourage you.
- Casually mention that you haven't talked to your friends in a while and that you've been alone.
- Respond to invitations with a "maybe" so that whoever invites you interprets it as "no."
- Stop listening while the other person talks. Do this to show disinterest, or you can interrupt as if you weren't listening.
Method 2 of 3: Appear Sad for a Play or Presentation
Step 1. Add signs of sadness to your wardrobe
You may need to ask your director or costume designer for permission, but ask if you can add a few things to your costumes to better communicate the character's mood. For instance:
- Make your character have red eyes and a red, puffy nose to show that he has been crying.
- Can you have a dirty sleeve covered in tears and snot?
- Unkempt hair and untidy appearance will show indifference and lack of interest.
- Dark circles indicate lack of sleep, which is a common sign of sadness.
Step 2. Put props on the stage that indicate sadness
When someone is sad, they can leave telltale signs in the air. If the director and set designer allow it, you can put a few elements on stage to show the audience the effects of your character's sadness. For instance:
- Scatter tissues everywhere and put 1 or 2 empty tissue boxes.
- Put scrapped or half-finished projects.
- Shows evidence of the anger that often accompanies sadness by putting toys, artwork, curtains, rugs, or destroyed clothing.
Step 3. Show signs that your character has not been able to sleep
Lack of sleep is highly related to sadness and depression. So showing signs of exhaustion and lack of sleep are a useful strategy for portraying a sad character. Do the following in your presentation:
- Yawn and have a downcast posture.
- Have slow and lazy movements.
- Lie down on a piece of furniture or fall asleep for a while while you're not talking.
Step 4. Give the impression of being indifferent and resigned
Deep sadness often causes someone to withdraw from social contact and emotional connection with others. Additionally, you can include signs of dislike and distancing in your presentation without changing the script or setting at all. For instance:
- Lower your gaze and avoid looking directly at the other characters on stage.
- Stare off stage as if you are disconnected from your environment.
- If you want, you can make eye contact with someone in the audience. Your character will appear to be estranged from those on stage, but connecting with another person will allow you to use more subtle gestures, such as facial expressions.
- Play with objects on stage as if you are deep in thought or moving about distractedly.
- Do not respond to the emotions of the other characters to convey your indifference.
- Don't react to sudden movements or loud sounds to show your listless mood.
Step 5. Use melodramatic gestures and outspoken cues when the presentation allows
Sometimes subtlety is not the way to go and you have to make lots of dramatic movements and gestures to convey an emotion during a play. Take advantage of those moments to show the public the sadness of your character. For instance:
- Break into tears covering your face while you sob.
- Place your forearm on your forehead and look away. This is the classic theatrical pose of grief and sadness.
- Talk between sobs or loud moans.
- Hug and don't let go of the other actors. Pull and stick to them to show the tragic abandonment of your character.
- Maybe you can really cry on stage.
- Remember that there are hundreds of ways to cry fake, but in the end it only matters if the audience cries.
- Keep the melodrama within the limits of the presentation, that is, don't overdo it.
Method 3 of 3: Appear sad with makeup
Step 1. Deliberately smudge your eye makeup to make it look like you've been crying
Running mascara is a classic sign that someone has been crying and you can take advantage of it in conjunction with smoky eye makeup.
Step 2. Leave your cheeks colorless and have a reddened nose
Having color in the cheeks is a sign of passion or fire. If you want to appear sad, it is better not to paint your cheeks. However, you can paint your nose red to show that it is swollen from using the tissues.
It may be easier to scrub your nose until it's red than it is to wear makeup
Step 3. Use pale or skin colored lipsticks
To communicate lasting sadness or depression, keep your lips and cheeks as colorless as possible. Painting yourself with a subtle nude lipstick can help make your entire face look less radiant and alert.
Advice
- If someone looks you straight in the eye, look away.
- If someone talks to you and you don't want to; Just say you have a place to go
Warnings
- Don't go overboard with the melodrama. Most sad people don't seek to publicize their sadness, so be subtle where possible.
- Not looking rested will make you look less attractive.
- Be careful, because emotions are contagious. When you appear to be sad with someone, you run the risk of really affecting them and making them sad. It is almost never good to play with the feelings of others.
- Your own body is also susceptible to suggestion and you run the risk of actually changing your mood if you appear sad for long periods of time. In other words, you might as well look and end up really sad.