To find out more about this uplifting corner of Reddit known as “the Happy Reddit,” Bored Panda spoke with its moderator N8theGr8 who happily shared some insights into the community with our readers. The moderator said that although he wasn’t there when the sub was created back in 2008 (which is pretty impressive by Reddit’s standards), he has been along for “the ride for a while at this point.”

“When I joined, there weren't really any automated processes running on that subreddit, so we had to deal with fights and brigades manually,” N8theGr8 recounted. He added a few filters to cut down on that, and “it's helped the subreddit hum along without much in the way of needing to actually step in to mod it, which I think helps ensure a community as free from outside interference as possible.”

“There's a lot of uncertainty in politics, news, climate, and many other issues facing us all lately,” N8theGr8 said. And in this difficult time, the Happy community on Reddit which is home to 475k members seems to be as relevant as ever. “I think it's good to be able to just have a spot where you can unwind to celebrate and focus on small victories and uplifting positive content,” he added.

The moderator said that the community “certainly has new people joining every day, and it's always nice to find someone who is happy to be able to have a small sanctuary of positivity.” This reflects in the subreddit’s description too: “Too many depressing things on the main page, so post about what makes you warm and fuzzy inside!”

When asked how N8theGr8 himself stays resilient to negativity, the moderator said that he gets regular exercise and has other hobbies. Aside from that, “and at the end of the day, I just assume that everyone being overly negative on the internet has their own problems and I figure that they're just yelling because they don't really view their computer screen as a person, so basically, I give people the benefit of the doubt.”

N8theGr8 continued: “I support a lot of progressive policies, so I get attacked by Redditors a lot on this platform, but I view the effort as important enough that I can weather a few mean people on the internet. I do my best to address and reduce negativity in my life, from within and without. I try to keep in mind that there are things I can change, and things that I cannot, so I do my best to try to be able to tell the difference and act accordingly,” he concluded in an interview with Bored Panda.