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Study reveals that anger and hatred can make people feel happier

15/08/2017

Study reveals that anger and hatred can make people feel happier

An international study has found that people are happier when they are able to feel the emotions they desire, even if those emotions are anger and hatred.


The study suggests that happiness is much "more than simply feeling pleasure and avoiding pain".


For the research, participants were asked what emotions they desired and felt. Their answers were then compared to how they rated their overall happiness or life satisfaction.


It was discovered that while people generally wanted to experience pleasant emotions, they felt happiest when they were able to feel the emotions they desired.


The bottom line, according to lead researcher Dr Maya Tamir, from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is "If you feel emotions you want to feel, even if they're unpleasant, then you're better off".


Dr Tamir went on to say that "Someone who feels no anger when reading about child abuse might think they should be angrier about the plight of abused children, so want to feel more anger than they actually do in that moment”.


Interestingly, the study also found that 11% of people wanted to feel less positive emotions, such as love and empathy, while 10% of people wanted to feel more negative emotions, such as hatred and anger.

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