Bored Panda was curious about the inspiration behind the popular Facebook group, why so many memes feature animals, as well as how to craft the perfect viral meme.

One of the administrators ensuring that the entire group runs smoothly, Hamza Saeed, was kind enough to answer all of our questions.

According to Saeed, the ‘Wholesome Memes’ group was inspired by one simple goal: “To create a positive and uplifting space on social media.”

The admin told Bored Panda that the goal of the team was to “counter the negativity” that’s often found on the internet and social media.

They did this by fostering a community that focuses on feel-good and heartwarming content.

A very large number of the memes shared on the Facebook group involve animals and people’s pets. We were interested to get the administrator’s thoughts on why these sorts of memes do so well on social media.

Saeed explained to us that, in his opinion, animal memes resonate with so many people because they bring people joy and evoke universal emotions in many of us.

“Animals are relatable,” he said that this is how they connect with the audience. According to him, images of animals acting innocent are perfect for heartwarming memes and humor.

Finally, Saeed shared his thoughts with us about what content creators can do to make their memes stand out from the crowd.

In the ‘Wholesome Memes’ administrator’s opinion, internet users ought to focus on two things: being authentic and original.

It’s through these genuine emotions that these silly and wholesome images can connect with us even stronger. If you can match up this sense of realness with a unique twist or perspective—even better!

Aside from that, Saeed urges content creators to keep up to date with current internet trends and take the time to engage with the community. 

Being kind and helping others is something that human beings are hard-wired for. We rely on our social circles to survive and thrive. As such, our brains reward us when we do good deeds for other people.

This is a phenomenon that’s aptly called the “helper’s high.” Not only is it nice to be nice, but our brains reinforce this sort of behavior by firing up our pleasure centers.

Aside from boosting our moods, kindness is also what deepens our relationships and connections with other folks. This happens on a biochemical level (with the release of oxytocin, the so-called love hormone), as well as a social one. We’re more likely to reciprocate with kindness and do good deeds in our social circles when someone’s helped us out.

But it’s not just others that we have to remember to take care of. We also need to carve out the time and put in the effort to be kind to ourselves.

It’s difficult to save the world (or at least your local neighborhood) if you’re constantly exhausted, extremely self-critical, burned out beyond belief, and chronically anxious. Self-care is a priority, no matter how big of an altruist you are.

Oftentimes, our very worst enemies are ourselves. As CNN notes, our brains have developed in such a way that they focus more on negative experiences than positive ones.

This used to help our ancestors survive because they’d hone in on potential threats. However, in this day and age, the sources of stress have changed for many people. Instead of worrying about potentially dangerous animals, we’re anxious about work, which can lead to a lot of baseless self-criticism if it gets out of hand. Luckily, this habit is something you can change, with practice.

Dr. Catherine Franssen, a psychology expert at Longwood University in Virginia, explained to CNN that it takes roughly 2 months to “train your brain” to let go of the habit of negative self-talk. Meditation can help with this. As can going for a walk outside in nature and cognitive behavioral therapy, if your self-criticism is impacting your daily life very much.

‘Wholesome Memes,’ managed by ‘RealVoices’ and a couple of other individuals, is a project that was created in the middle of the summer of 2021. In the 2+ years since its inception, the group has amassed over 96k loyal followers

It’s not hard to see why the community is so popular. Its members are active and share some truly wholesome memes, as befits a group named the way that it is. If you ever need to restore (some of) your faith in humanity, these memes can remind you that far from everything is as bad as it seems.

Even in the toughest of times, or rather especially when things get tough, you can see the best (and worst) of humanity. On top of that, even the smallest gestures of kindness can have a big impact. Some of the memes shared by members of the community tap into these ideas.

Meanwhile, other images that get shared on ‘Wholesome Memes’ focus on showing how cute and adorable our animal friends can be! There’s a bit of everything for everyone.