Why does the brain mostly remember tragic, bad or embarassing memories instead of the happy ones
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Because happy memories are useless to your survival.
You remember that time you touched the stove because it was a lesson your brain wants you to remember: Don’t be an idiot.
The baseline your brain wants is for you to be content. Emotional net-neutrality. You can find happiness later, just be glad you aren’t dangling off a cliff missing a leg because of your bad decisions
It also tends to be the case that “bad” things are typically a lot easier to remember. “Bad” in a lot of cases just means “unexpected”. It’s a lot easier to remember things that were surprising/impactful.
You aren’t surprised when you go hiking for the 30th time, and nothing new happens. If anything, many might find it boring at that point. But, a surprise life or death experience with a rattle snake is definitely gonna make that 30th a day to remember. It stands out.
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