Quote Originally Posted by happyturtle View Post
When my depression starts to act up, I reach for the horror fiction. There's something really cathartic about it. This link really sums it up the best:

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog...ction-on-.html
That was a very interesting article, thanks for the link. Makes me want to try the author now.

I can't say the reason I read stories about horrible things happening to people is quite the same. My life has been remarkably fortunate; my entire family is healthy both mentally and physically, I am paid well enough for my time, and have had at least my fair share of opportunities, some of which I haven't squandered. There aren't a whole lot of privileges I haven't enjoyed.

I think that stuff like the grimmer bits of Game of Thrones or similar are essentially a reminder that bad things happen. Stories where everybody I care about ends up OK and obstacles are more a chance for awesome fight scenes and witty one-liners never really make me leave my happy little emotional corner of life. And I'm exceedingly glad I get to live in my happy little corner of life, don't get me wrong, but stories which take place there don't exactly require a lot of compassion or thoughtfulness. On a diet of nothing but fun little adventures and witty reparte, I find I simply am less emotionally engaged. I am not sure this says anything good about me, mind, but I'm pretty sure that's how I work.

To be clear, I am not saying I only read or watch things about horrible tragedy, or that depressing things are the only works that bring out my better side. I read and watch a lot of pretty low-impact stuff, but I don't think I would be better off if that were the only media of which I partook. I also find something like Cloud Atlas very empathetic, and also a really uplifting movie in a lot of ways. Heretically, I think I like the movie of that better than the book.