Do people like happy endings?

Forty-one per cent [of respondents] are overwhelmingly in favour of books with a happy ending, as against 2.2% who like it sad. Women were 13% more likely than men to say they want it all to end happily. Almost one fifth of men expressed a preference for books with ambiguous endings…

Young people were most likely to prefer books with a sad ending – 8.6% of under 16s. Those aged 41-65, however, a group with more personal experience of sadness, dislike sad endings, with only 1.1% preferring books that end this way.

Here is more information.  You must know by now, of course, that I prefer most of my endings tragic, or ambiguous, with a few happy tales thrown in to make the tragedies a surprise when they come.  (Is it the dirty little secret of elite culture that we would be bored if in fact we had everything our way?)  In fact all of you unwashed-masses-happy-endings-loving viewers subsidize me.  You support so much feel-good slop that when something meaty does come along, I am genuinely shocked and delighted.  If it is bad, I just put down the book or leave the theater.  Thank you all, once again.

Addendum: Right now Typepad is "holding" all your comments.  They should appear sooner or later, our apologies…Further update: The problem appears to be corrected.