Final answer:
Audiences love happy endings because they offer closure, resolution, and a psychological sense of everything being under control. This is embedded in our storytelling culture across various genres, providing comfort and fulfillment to the audience.
Step-by-step explanation:
Audiences generally love happy endings because they provide closure and a sense of resolution. This satisfaction comes from the psychological need for closure, where everything seems under control and suggests that any issues will be resolved. This inclination is observed across various narrative genres, from comedies and melodramas to dramas and tragicomedies, where the end state of the characters often conveys a conclusion to their journey, offering the audience a sense of finality and comfort.
In different genres, such as melodramas or comedies, the expectation of a happy ending is entrenched, reinforcing the desire for justice, upliftment, and the triumph of good over evil. Even in modern tragedies or dramas, the resolution may not be conventionally happy, but it still provides thematic closure and can be a cathartic experience for the audience. This is why happy endings are cherished; they align with a cultural storytelling fabric that emphasizes conclusion and fulfillment.