Sometimes you feel like life has no meaning and you want to feed that beast. Sometimes you feel life is happy and you want to feed that. Human experience isn’t only happy. Some people want to experience it all.
Old-Friendship9613 on
Oooh I love this questions and I love melancholy things lol – let’s see if I can offer some perspective. It’s a valid question – why would someone actively seek out media that makes them feel sad or depressed? For me, there’s a level of catharsis in exploring darker themes and emotions. Sadness can paradoxically make us feel more alive and connected to our deeper emotions. Some people are drawn to sad books as a way to process and metabolize grief, loss, or hardship they’ve experienced in their own lives. There’s comfort in seeing your struggles reflected back at you from the pages. I know for me when I am grappling with mental health issues, sad books/music/movies/etc can provide much-needed validation that these feelings are real and okay. People value sad stories for their philosophical depth and artistry in dissecting the full range of the human experience – the good and the bad. Stories focused solely on happiness can ring hollow or incomplete to some. I know it can seem counterintuitive, but I love it!!
colorofvirtue on
I am a generally very blessed and privileged person and I try to be conscious of this daily.
I read books about people in difficult situations or about tragedies because it allows me to develop empathy for others and provide new perspectives. I think it is important to consume literature that provides instances and viewpoints of situations that aren’t necessarily relevant to me to give greater context to the humanity and experiences of others.
kitt-wrecks on
Safe, controlled way to deal with difficult emotions and heavy topics, that allows you to tap out and take breaks from the feelings when you need to. Also, you know, sometimes just to feel something!
stella3books on
For me, two reasons:
1. I think in some way that it’s got information I want. Some history books cover fucked up shit that impacts the current world, and I’m willing to feel bad in order to get that information.
2. When it comes to horror novels, I’m interested in exploring HOW I respond to really extreme stuff. What makes me wretch and put down a book, what makes me feel uncomfortable engaging with the art, and why do I feel that way? It helps me suss out the difference between emotional and moral/ethical responses. IRL, people depend on a combination of ‘instinctive disgust/fear’ and ‘ethical analysis’ to respond to a new, upsetting situation, and we don’t tend to differentiate between the two. I think it makes me a better person if I practice differentiating between reflexive disgust and moral condemnation. Plus it helps me overcome my own fear/disgust response, which helps me try new things and overcome that “I intellectually WANT to try this, but am afraid to do it,” problem, and to make gross/scary obligations easier to handle.
6 Comments
Sometimes you feel like life has no meaning and you want to feed that beast. Sometimes you feel life is happy and you want to feed that. Human experience isn’t only happy. Some people want to experience it all.
Oooh I love this questions and I love melancholy things lol – let’s see if I can offer some perspective. It’s a valid question – why would someone actively seek out media that makes them feel sad or depressed? For me, there’s a level of catharsis in exploring darker themes and emotions. Sadness can paradoxically make us feel more alive and connected to our deeper emotions. Some people are drawn to sad books as a way to process and metabolize grief, loss, or hardship they’ve experienced in their own lives. There’s comfort in seeing your struggles reflected back at you from the pages. I know for me when I am grappling with mental health issues, sad books/music/movies/etc can provide much-needed validation that these feelings are real and okay. People value sad stories for their philosophical depth and artistry in dissecting the full range of the human experience – the good and the bad. Stories focused solely on happiness can ring hollow or incomplete to some. I know it can seem counterintuitive, but I love it!!
I am a generally very blessed and privileged person and I try to be conscious of this daily.
I read books about people in difficult situations or about tragedies because it allows me to develop empathy for others and provide new perspectives. I think it is important to consume literature that provides instances and viewpoints of situations that aren’t necessarily relevant to me to give greater context to the humanity and experiences of others.
Safe, controlled way to deal with difficult emotions and heavy topics, that allows you to tap out and take breaks from the feelings when you need to. Also, you know, sometimes just to feel something!
For me, two reasons:
1. I think in some way that it’s got information I want. Some history books cover fucked up shit that impacts the current world, and I’m willing to feel bad in order to get that information.
2. When it comes to horror novels, I’m interested in exploring HOW I respond to really extreme stuff. What makes me wretch and put down a book, what makes me feel uncomfortable engaging with the art, and why do I feel that way? It helps me suss out the difference between emotional and moral/ethical responses. IRL, people depend on a combination of ‘instinctive disgust/fear’ and ‘ethical analysis’ to respond to a new, upsetting situation, and we don’t tend to differentiate between the two. I think it makes me a better person if I practice differentiating between reflexive disgust and moral condemnation. Plus it helps me overcome my own fear/disgust response, which helps me try new things and overcome that “I intellectually WANT to try this, but am afraid to do it,” problem, and to make gross/scary obligations easier to handle.
Catharsis