Why Our Brains Love Happy Endings (Even When They’re Wrong)
Kia ora, Happy Minds! Right, here’s a question for you. Have you ever sat through two hours of a terrible film — plot holes, bad acting, endless filler — only to have a brilliant twist in the final five minutes… and suddenly you’re telling people it was “pretty good actually”?
Yep. That’s your brain overvaluing the ending — and it’s way more common than you think.
The “Happy Ending” Effect
Research from Cambridge University shows that when we make decisions based on past experiences, our brains place way more weight on how things ended than how they went overall. Dr. Martin Vestergaard, who led a fascinating study on this, found that our amygdala (the brain’s value calculator) battles with the anterior insula (the “tough crowd” part that marks things down if they decline).
In one experiment, participants watched coins of various sizes drop into two different pots and were asked to choose which pot was better. Interestingly, participants often judged a pot to have less value if the last coins added were smaller—even if that pot actually contained more coins overall.
In short? A bad ending spoiled the whole experience.
Why Are We Wired This Way?
Human brains are strange. As Howard Rankin, author and clinical psychologist, points out: we’re basically still wired like Neanderthals, laser-focused on survival, comfort, and “right now.”
Our brains haven’t had a big upgrade in about 50,000 years. Critical thinking burns through loads of energy—up to 20% of our total supply—so our minds lean on shortcuts to make decisions faster.
Sometimes, those shortcuts look like:
- Trusting a good ending over the full story
- Picking what’s immediately rewarding (hello, pastries for breakfast)
- Choosing emotional comfort over logical analysis
Oksana Hagerty, a developmental psychologist, explains it with the “bird in the hand” idea: our brains are hardwired to go for what’s certain and close, even if bigger, better rewards are just a little further away.
When Irrationality Becomes an Asset
Okay so here’s the twist. While our irrational side can trip us up, it also fuels creativity. Pareen Sehat, a clinical counsellor, reminds us that if no one had randomly rubbed two stones together, we might not have discovered fire.
Our urge to chase novelty, try odd ideas, and sometimes make “illogical” choices is part of what keeps humanity moving forward.
Is Our Brain a Bit… Quantum?
And this is where it gets wild. Some cognitive scientists argue that our brains behave less like calculators and more like quantum computers.
In quantum physics, the order you ask questions changes the answers. The same thing happens in human behaviour: people’s opinions on politicians, for instance, can shift depending on what question you ask first.
Traditional probability can’t explain that.
Enter “quantum cognition”: a theory suggesting that our thought processes follow quantum-like rules, where things are fluid, context-dependent, and sometimes counterintuitive.
What This Means for Everyday Life
If you’ve ever:
- Stayed in a mediocre job because you once had a good month there,
- Rewatched a long, boring film because the ending made you cry (in a good way),
- Voted for someone because they seemed competent right before election day,
- Backed a project at work because the final presentation looked polished—even though the process was rocky…
…you’ve seen the “happy ending” effect in action.
It’s not a flaw—it’s your very human brain doing what it evolved to do: prioritise comfort, simplicity, and emotional closure.
But being aware of these biases helps. As Vestergaard puts it, sometimes it’s worth pausing and giving the rational brain a turn at the wheel.
So next time you’re weighing a decision—whether it’s a job move, a project pitch, a film rewatch, or something bigger—ask yourself:
Am I choosing this because it ended well… or because it’s the best choice overall?
And if you still rewatch that three-hour film for the five minutes that made you cry? Hey, no judgement. That’s just your beautiful, bewildering, human brain doing exactly what it’s built to do.
Want more ways to work with your brain instead of against it? Check out our Happy Mind Training courses — packed with science-backed tools for real life.
