by Joe Borders,
Therapist in Roseville, Ca

Things That are Oddly Satisfying

Have you ever experienced something that was oddly satisfying in a way you just couldn’t explain? Those moments when things work out just right and it just feels good?

Recently the following video went viral and in a little over a month received over 4 million views!

Every now and then things come into existence on the internet that become their own phenomena and are of particular interest to the field of psychology. Much like ASMR which I blogged about several months ago, this phenomenon of things working out just right has become popular on the internet and has inspired numerous video compilations of other such satisfying scenarios. In general they are being referred to as either “oddly satisfying” or “the most satisfying” videos. The following are a few of them that I thought are particularly good. When you watch them, pay attention to how they make you feel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbwos7S1tFM

As far as I know, there are yet to be any formal studies of what exactly is at play in these videos and why they are so satisfying to watch. I think its a combination of the human desire for perfection and the brain’s natural tendency to pay close attention to anything that works out unexpectedly. In this case, the unexpected outcome being that everything is aligning perfectly. I also really wonder how these videos might be for people who have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), obsessive compulsive personality disorder, or who are perfectionists. These videos are similar to another internet trend that involves photos of things fitting perfectly or arranged just right (check out this BuzzFeed post). These photos resemble potential compulsions that a person with OCD might engage in. Maybe these things speak to that part in all of us that is a little anxious and wants everything to work out just right.

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