15 of My Favorite Feelings
2015-05-29 · list · Hank · 3:59 · watch on YouTube
Topic: Philosophy & meaning · mode: Personal essay · tags: civic or action cta
Hank counters his rant video by sharing favorite feelings, from weddings and old friends to letting a loved one see one's broken bits, notes that watching bad people fail never feels good, and says complaining may be more fun than appreciating but is probably worse for people and the world.
What is said
The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).
00:00:00 — Greeting; his last video complained and his first rant asked why people like rants; to counteract it, 15 favorite feelings, honest rather than funny
- ★★★ Hank says his last video complained, its first rant asking why people enjoy rants when the world is full of cool stuff; to counteract it he shares 15 favorite feelings, aiming for honest rather than funny. — 00:00:01
00:00:26 — Feelings: weddings of people you like; an old friend after years; figuring out something complicated; getting better at things
- ★★ Favorite feeling: seeing two people you like marry, with everyone who loves them being unironically sappy for a day. — 00:00:27
- ★★ Favorite feeling: hanging out with an old friend for the first time in years and realizing how well you still get along. — 00:00:38
- ★★ Favorite feelings: figuring out something complicated, whether a real-life problem or a contrived book or video-game puzzle, and realizing you can now easily do what was unthinkably hard a year ago. — 00:00:51
00:01:19 — Feelings: being comfortable as oneself and recognized for one's strengths; respect from someone you respect; a book's plot threads coming together; scary things going well; hot shower in winter; the first iris
- ★★★ Hank says feeling comfortable being himself and having society recognize his strengths is rare and rad; he has it now, never wants to take it for granted, and won't be bitter if he loses it. — 00:01:19
- ★★ Favorite feeling: someone you respect telling you they respect you. — 00:01:35
- ★★ Favorite feeling: a book's many seemingly unrelated plot threads suddenly coming together into one tapestry. — 00:01:40
- ★★ Favorite feelings: something scary going really well, a hot shower in the dead of winter, and smelling the first iris of the year. — 00:01:58
00:02:11 — Feelings: letting a loved one see your broken bits; being loved back; the cat wanting to cuddle; learning and helping others learn
- ★★★ Hank says maybe the best feeling he has had is letting someone you love see all your broken bits and having them accept them and share theirs, and knowing they love you back. (hedged) — 00:02:11
- ★ Less good but still very good: the cat insisting you stop moving so it can cuddle. (playful) — 00:02:34
- ★★ Favorite feelings: learning things that help him understand the world better, and helping other people do the same. — 00:02:40 · curiosity
00:02:47 — A feeling that never feels good: watching bad people fail or self-destruct
- ★★★ Hank expected watching bad people who did bad things fail or self-destruct to feel good, but having experienced it, it never does; it is sad whether they succeed or fail. — 00:02:47
00:03:14 — The video was hard to make; complaining is more fun than appreciating but probably worse long-term; share favorite feelings in comments; sign-off
- ★★★ Hank found the video surprisingly hard to make: even in their open, honest corner of the internet, sharing things he likes was difficult, perhaps from self-consciousness or fear of bragging. (hedged) — 00:03:14 · Nerdfighteria
- ★★★ Hank says it is apparently more fun to complain than to appreciate, but probably not better for a person or the world in the long term. (hedged) — 00:03:34
- ★★ Hank invites viewers to share their favorite feelings in the comments, and their hang-ups to consenting strangers. — 00:03:45
In the description and comments
- ★★★ Hank writes that recognizing and dwelling on our positive experiences is a great way both to have a better outlook on life and to have more positive experiences, which is what this video does. — video description
Threads in this video
- callback · Hank's 'Rants in Four Minutes' videos (2013) — Hank refers back to his rant video, whose first rant was about ranting, and counters it with favorite feelings. (00:00:01) → refers to 15 Rants in Four Minutes
- asked · Hank asks viewers to share their favorite feelings (and hang-ups) in the comments (2015) — Hank asks viewers to share their favorite feelings, and their hang-ups, in the comments. (00:03:45)
Mentioned
curiosity · friendship · negativity bias · Schadenfreude
Replies to
- continues · 15 Rants in Four Minutes — “In my last video I complained.”
Later videos replying to this one
- 2015-06-02 · Let's Go Outside (John) — continues (variant on The brothers' alternating 15-part and 16-part list videos ('this whole 15/16 thing', 2015)) — John continues the 15/16 exchange: Hank made another 15-part video, so John makes a 16-part list of things he loves about being outside. (00:00:01)