‘Painnful’ is the name of the Instagram page. As you’ll notice, most of these memes highlight negative emotions, whether sadness, regret, or uneasiness, each expressed lightheartedly.
While the knee-jerk notion is to avoid negativity at all costs, experts say there are benefits to leaning into it. A 2023 study published in the National Library of Medicine revealed that embracing unpleasant emotions is a much healthier approach.
Negative emotions exist for a reason, one of which is that they are an aid to survival. As author and licensed psychotherapist Tori Rodriguez points out in an article for Scientific American, they can, for example, provide clues to a lingering health issue that requires attention.
Judging these feelings may also backfire and increase their intensity. As psychologist Emily Willroth tells the New York Times, it also encourages rumination, which may lead to a never-ending cycle of worry.
Experts agree that it’s important to accept negativity as a part of life, much like how these memes express it. As Rodriguez notes, it’s about acknowledging these feelings without feeling unnecessary urgency to flip that switch.
As she stated, deep breaths and imagining these feelings as floating clouds could be creative reminders that the storm will pass.
Another way to look at negative emotions is to approach them with curiosity, as suggested by neuropathic physician Dr. Amanda Shallcross. As she told the Times, you can use your body and experience as a “laboratory” and ask yourself, “What’s here?”
Overall, it’s about having a holistic view of human emotions. As neuroscientist and writer Aditi Subramaniam notes, a mindful approach makes more sense.
“It would serve us well rather than falling for the lie that only some types of emotions are good or worth experiencing,” she wrote in an article for Psychology Today.
