dingdong, the belief is dead

I've been holding on to this belief that unhappy people get more and better attention than happy people. Like if someone is sad, they get hugs and sweetness and all that nurturing stuff but if someone is happy people just assume they're good. For the past month or so I've been annoyed at that belief, because I use unhappiness to get attention. For a long long time it was way less conscious than that, but for a month or two I've been pretty aware but unable to figure out how to get that same nurturing attention without resorting to the almost-manipulation of feeling down or upset to get it. For the past week and a half I've been actively looking for evidence that happy people do get good attention and that I get good attention when I'm happy. I've also been working on ways to get the same kind of attention I get when I'm unhappy, but when I'm going ok (thanks you loads of people who talking with me about that). Here's the consensus and what I've come to find actually works: sometimes it'll just come anyway, and I can ask for it when I want it! I've taken to saying "tell me something sweet" or "be loving to me please" and, as silly as I think it sounds sometimes, it works really well. It doesn't even feel insincere when people respond, which I thought it might.
So. I now believe that happy people get amazing, sweet, loving attention and there is no reason to be unhappy. Yay! It feels a lot better this way.