ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Osgood curve

The Osgood curve helps us understand how we feel about things. Imagine you have an ice cream cone, and you take a bite. If the ice cream tastes really good, you will feel happy, and you might want another bite. But if the ice cream tastes bad, you will feel sad or disappointed, and you will not want another bite.

The Osgood curve is like a graph of how we feel about things. It starts at the bottom with feelings that are very negative or unpleasant. As we move up the curve, our feelings become more positive or pleasant. At the top of the curve, we feel the best we can about something.

For example, if we think about dogs, someone who is afraid of dogs might be at the bottom of the curve. They might feel like dogs are scary and bad. But someone who loves dogs would be at the top of the curve. They might feel like dogs are cute and cuddly and make them really happy.

The Osgood curve can help us understand how different people feel about things. It can also help us understand how we feel about things ourselves. By thinking about where we are on the curve, we can try to move to a more positive place and feel happier about the things we experience.