How Can You Satiate Your Need To Feel Good?
By: Rajeev Mudumba
Tags: Good News, Feelings, News, Feel Good, Optimism

Why do you watch a movie?

For entertainment, you might say.

But, aren’t most movies made about the good winning over evil or happily living ever after? Why so?

Is it because that’s what appeals to our reptilian brain?

Do we need to feel assured and good at the end of an entertainment event so we can carry that “good” feeling longer?

There’s a ton of blame put on the modern media for sharing news and stories that spotlight things gone wrong. However, when good wins over evil or some of these disasters we hear about, are met with helping hands or made amends to, and such news confronts us, we feel good. Right?

Well, as humans we are wired for a sense of security and well being, and expect to see the same around us, in search of conformity. Nothing wrong with that! And, when we see or hear good news, our spirits are definitely lifted.

Happiness is an essential ingredient of our lives and everything we do, is geared toward it. Being cheerful, being in a good mood or generally happy, allows us to waltz through our day with carefree abandon, and to be at our productive best.

After all, a simple smile in the mirror can kick this off for you, everyday. Many times, it acts as our coping mechanism against the stress of daily life.

There’s plenty around us that can hold a mirror to what’s gone wrong. And to combat that, we crave to learn or observe what’s being done to make the wrong, right. There is a balance in doing that for our own well being, and that of others around us.

Some have argued that good news provides for escapism more than optimism. Expecting that things will be all right, and looking forward to it is definitely optimism, and is very much needed to face the storm of challenges and negativity.

Our attitude and inner happiness is the result of such optimism. It gives us the strength to keep going forward despite the challenges, and this strength is vital in times that are not the most optimal.

While the fact that there is some level of escapism from reality cannot be denied, it is for one’s own good, to help you hold on to hope and keep going until you reach your destination.

It also helps bolster our belief in human endeavor and faith, to reach out to each other during difficult times and draw inspiration from one another in going on with our lives.

We do not appreciate the good unless we learn of the bad, let alone experience it. So, every happy ending is to a bad beginning or a bad story, right?

Such endings provide us with the reassurance we need that it will be all right in the end, which ensures we have the strength to go through it now in anticipation of that happy ending.

Good vibes or good news is vital to our well being. The effect it has on us is immeasurable and can mean the difference in how we fare through a crisis. The hope it provides allows for our creativity to come forth in search of an optimal solution.

Psychology tells us that waking up to good news is better for you. It sets your mood for the day and provides you the strength to take on challenges with a mindset that it will eventually be all right.

Happiness is ours to control and wield. Yet, we look for it everywhere else, but within us.

Start from within and you will not have to look far!