By: Emily Ao

Small things in life, like rainbows and sunsets, are so fascinating to humans because they bring us joy and color amongst our day. From when we are young children, adults around us constantly point out our environments whenever something colorful or interesting, like rainbows and sunsets, are present. When we’re young, our cognitive abilities are constantly developing, so this subconsciously “trains” our minds into viewing rainbows, sunsets, and other small things as interesting.

Another factor that may determine why we find such simple things fascinating is because they’re natural beauties. Rainbows, sunsets, sunrises, aurora borealis: what do all these have in common? They’re all natural occurrences. Unlike many other attractions, like the Eiffel Tower or Mount Rushmore, these events are not man-made. To see that nature can create such visually pleasing views is another reason why many find joy in such “small” things.

To add on to the question why people tend to feel more joyous when they see such simple things, we can think about how color affects the human mind. While it may not seem like it, these not-so-rare phenomena can actively affect your moods. In an article that explains color psychology in homes, bright colors are scientifically proven to stimulate energy and dopamine, a hormone linked with happiness. Even though these experiences don’t occur within the home, the logic still stays the same: the human mind is trained to react positively when it sees warm colors. Again, these colors have been justified by cognitive experts to stimulate activeness and mood increase, whether one finds the color pleasing or not.

All in all, some may not find these small things to be mildly interesting at all. In those who do, the mood boost is thoroughly evident, but in those who don’t, the joy is simply submerged. Whether you feel it or not, happiness from seeing simple things like rainbows and sunsets goes down to the neurotransmitter production team in your mind. In other words, although some may not find this particular type of phenomena interesting, their minds still subconsciously release dopamine due to the warm hues radiating from things like rainbows and sunsets, contributing to the final idea that fascination with these small things is not entirely voluntary.