Why do we like pain more?

Kreds:
Recently I was thinking that all the great movies, plays are tragedies. Why?

Take into consideration:
American Film Institute's ranking list of movies that Hollywood has ever produced - 1) Citizen Kane 2) Casablanca 3) Godfather 4) Gone with the wind ... so on, all the top rankers are tragedies.
The Bicycle Thief ( ladri di biciclette ) - which is considered the greatest film of all time - is a tragedy.
British Film Institute's top rankers - 1) The Third Man 2) Brief Encounter 3) Lawrence of Arabia ... all are tragedies.
The highest Academy Awards winning films - 1) Titanic 2) Benhur 3) West Side Story ... all tragedies.
Shakespear's tragedies are much more famous than his comedies.

It is not possible to think this way that Shakespear's talent and creativity declined during his comedy works, or any director is less efficient and imaginative while directing a comedy film.
The fact is that the audience remember tragedy more. Tragedies create a greater and long-lasting impression on their mind than comedies. Even the judges and critics are not entirely bias-free from this effect.

My question is why do we like pain, sorrow and bereavement more?
Not pleasure and union?
Can anybody answer?

LiptonCambell: We enjoy expressing emotion, but its easier, and less whiny, to express sorrow and suffering than love and joy.

Personally? I love moral ambiguity....where whats right and wrong are unclear....and this plays a role for me in this issue

CoIin: Aristotle has a theory about this. You'll find it out there in the Internet I'm sure.

CoIin: "Tragedy results in a catharsis (emotional cleansing) or healing for the audience through their experience of these emotions in response to the suffering of the characters in the drama."

etc etc

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy

I'm a sucker for a happy ending though

Ms Aryaa: We fear pain/tragedy and maybe due to that same reason we get attracted to watch it and empathise.


Aristotle's thoughts on pain

In Aristotelian terms there are only five senses: vision, hearing, touch, taste ans smell. When these senses are stimulated, the appropriate sensation is felt, but if the stimulation is too intense the experience of pain appears. Aristotle thought that pain - and its opposite, pleasure - were not true senses but "passions of the soul", qualifying each sensory experience with emotional feelings and providing a strong drive, positive or negative, to a given stimulus.

--From Axon Pain Review

There is no coming to consciousness without pain
-- Carl Gustav Jung

CoIin: Reminds me I have the dentist next week

Comrade_:
My question is why do we like pain, sorrow and bereavement more?
--Maybe because it is more believable and one can relate, seeing that pain is prevalent. Or the rush that it gives. Adds to the entertainment.

Serabi: "The highest Academy Awards winning films - 1) Titanic 2) Benhur 3) West Side Story ... all tragedies." - I have not seen any of the three. When I go out for an evening of entertainment, I want to be 'entertained' and feel good.

I think the reason for tragedies being more 'popular' is the fact that it detracts from our own lives. Many people think that their own lives are so bad and couldn't get worse. Watching a tragedy leave you with the feeling that your life might not be that bad after all.

Then you get plain sick people called 'sorrow-gluttons'. They feed on the misery of others, many are volunteers in hospitals or professional funeral attenders. Some have openly claimed to have seen Titanic 20 - 22 times.

Another cause for the tragedy viewers is social. We are brought up in a society that frowns on the expression of negative emotions such as sorrow. Watching tragic movies can release your 'inhibitions' and promote a catharsis.

The adrenaline junkies will watch horror movies, do extreme sports or are addicted to roller-coasters.

SomeChick93: In my personal experience, I can tell that you that pain, sometimes, can give you same or even more pleasure than actual happiness.
On the other hand, I'm also a crazy person, so...

Hyenablood: humans love to watch other humans suffer, as long as the watching human is unharmed and gets to live, they don't give a @#$ about the pain and suffering of the victim. Humans are terrible that way, and we have made alot of money and jobs out of the suffering of others.

Kreds: thanks to all contributors, enriched me with beautiful insight. Sp. thanks to serabi.