That purpose: a shared vibe, a sense of feeling seen by and belonging with others who are similarly afflicted with similar “non-productive” sad or depressive emotions. This cohesion is exemplary of a collective mood as described by Ludwig Fleck, wherein “the force which maintains the collective and unites its members is derived from the community of the collective mood. This mood produces the readiness for an identically directed perception, evaluation and use of what is perceived, i.e. a common thought-style.”
