Contranymous

The International Journal of Wellbeing reported recently on the correlation of vitality and shared positive emotions via three studies. The first demonstrated a relationship between the natural sharing of positive events and vitality leading to and maintaining a sense of positivity and vitality in those part of the exchange(s); the second study showed that individuals sharing the same positive event reported higher levels of vitality; the third study, showed individuals who shared a positive event with their partner reported higher overall vitality.

Perhaps this seems obvious; perhaps you're a happy-go-lucky optimist on the brink of winning the lotto. Regardless, the implications of the IJW's findings are nothing new, per-se. Peter Barnes' 1978 play, Red Noses, takes a sardonic venture through 14th century, plague-ridden France; Barnes' main character, Father Flote, has a particularly sensitive trigger-finger on society's pulse and serves as the vestibule for the theme of morality by heading his ambling comedia dell' arte "Red Noses" mixed-bag group of deviants, miscreants and sacrosancts as a reminder that clowning may be far more productive than sniffling. So says Flote, "every jest should be a small revolution--all forms of rebellion must come together."

Be it 14th century Black Death, or 21st century [Mad/Lib], perspective, especially shared, remains a taut instrument.

Life sometimes can be contranymous.

Contranymous: --adjective

  any word or phrase that can be its own antonym