As we welcome 2016, Good Celebrity reflects on the past year and the positive stories that peppered our news feeds. It’s easy to fall into the trap of negativity and assume that all news is bad news, but that’s simply not true.
People love good news. News Whip’s analysis of the most viral Facebook posts from 2015 proves this thought. A majority of the articles creating the most engagement are positive headlines focusing on everything from awe-inspiring performances to hilarious parenting jokes portrayed by ducks. All the data comes from Spike.
Check out the viral, positive Good Celebrity-approved posts from last year below.
(#1) Robert Plant Breaks Down In Tears When Ann Wilson Covers ‘Stairway To Heaven.’
In June 2015, Little Things shared an energetic performance from the Kennedy Center Honors in December 2012. It topped News Whip’s list by earning nearly 1.8 million engagements on Facebook last year.
During the annual event, honoree British rock band Led Zeppelin received a very special treat from Ann and Nancy Wilson of the band Heart. The ladies performed a jaw-droppingly great rendition of the band’s classic song, “Stairway to Heaven.”
The performance reportedly brought tears to Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant’s eyes. Check out the video below.
(#2) Optimistic People, All Have One Thing In Common: They’re Always Late
Elite Daily rounded out of the top of the list with its article about the correlation between optimism and tardiness.
According to the viral article, people who are late on a regular basis are more optimistic than their on-time peers.
“They believe they can fit more tasks into a limited amount of time more than other people and thrive when they’re multitasking. Simply put, they’re fundamentally hopeful,” the article’s author writes.
(#4) 15 hilarious parenting comics that are almost too real.
Cartoonist Brian Gordon’s creations went viral, thanks to his realistic portrayal of life as a parent. His website, FowlLanguageComics.com, portrays ducks talking about the woes that come with raising children.
“My comics are largely autobiographical,” Gordon told UpWorthy. “I’ve got two kids who are four and seven, and often, what I’m writing happened as recently as that very same day.”
His lighthearted cartoons are a hoot. Check out Gordon’s drawings here.
(#6) This Moving Company Helps Women Leave Abusive Homes At No Cost
This article won the hearts of millions, about 1.3 million on Facebook, because of its subjects. Aaron and Evan Steed founded Meathead Movers in the late 90s to earn extra cash for college.
They occasionally received phone calls from women who needed to move quickly out of their homes because their abusive significant other was out of the house.
During a move in 2000, the Steed’s were caught in the middle of a sticky situation when an abuser came home in the midst of the move. This incident inspired the brothers to ensure both the women and themselves were safe during all moves by partnering with a local women’s shelter.
“What was good about that is, they could be vetting the requests for help, supporting the women with counseling, and making sure when we went in, the proper restraining orders were in place, or police were on hand if necessary,” Meathead’s CEO Aaron Steed told Good News Network.
(#7) The Science Of Why You Should Spend Your Money On Experiences, Not Things
We’re firm believers in the next topic, which caught the attention of 1.3 million Facebook users. In the article from Co.Exist, Dr. Thomas Gilovich explains that people should spend their money on experiences, not things.
He explains that when we buy things like a new iPhone or a fancy handbag, the joy is false. It quickly disappears until we replace that happiness with the next purchase.
“Our experiences are a bigger part of ourselves than our material goods,” Gilovich told the website. “You can really like your material stuff. You can even think that part of your identity is connected to those things, but nonetheless they remain separate from you. In contrast, your experiences really are part of you. We are the sum total of our experiences.”
He went on to explain that when people have a negative experience that didn’t make them happy, they change their view of the experience once they reflect and talk about it with their friends.
(#8) 17 Reasons Why Your High School Best Friends Will Be Your BFFs For Life
Pulptastic takes a trip down memory lane and makes us want to call our best friend to reminisce. The website gives 17 reasons why someone’s high school bestie will remain their bestie forever.
This article focuses on subjects such as knowing all of each other’s secrets to being an honorary member of each other’s families; the article is on point.
Our favorite: “You both know that you can be your wacky, real selves with each other.”