This article in the New York Times highlights the debate among evolutionary psychologists regarding whether or not there is an evolutionary advantage to humans getting depressed. Dr. Paul Andrews of Virginia Commonwealth University argues that according to his studies being sad increases spatial recognition skills, while Joseph Forgas, Of New South Wales, states that his studies have shown that subjects in sad moods often have a better feel for when the are being deceived. Those against this hypothesis, including the author, feel that there is a difference between being sad and depressed.n They argue that depression is a chronic illness, and one that impedes normal cognitive function, not support it. The end of the article tells an anecdote about a young man who had beaten depression, but still had a somber outlook overall on life, and how he could tell there was a difference between being sad, and being clinically depressed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/health/depression-defies-rush-to-find-evolutionary-upside.html?_r=1&ref=biologyandbiochemistry
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