(Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)If you're watching the Paris Olympics and catch yourself smiling and cheering for athletes you don't know competing in events you've never heard of, you're definitely not alone. This interest in the Olympics — and the joy it brings — are felt globally, but especially in the country at the heart of the games, France. Here's why you might feel so happy watching the Olympics and how you can find that joy after the closing ceremony. The number of athlete backstories we learn are multiplied at the Olympics, which makes us that much more invested. That might look like watching the same show or reading a book together, or even more hands-on tasks like gardening, says Lyubomirsky.

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Persons: Richard Heathcote, you've, Jason Kelce's Ilona Maher, Daniel Wann, Sonja Lyubomirsky, Wann, backstories, Guy, Yusuf Dikeç, Ilona Maher, Lyubomirsky, Jonathan Haidt Organizations: Olympic Games, Stade de France, Getty, Paris Olympics, Olympics, Murray State University, UC Riverside, Team U.S.A Locations: Paris, France, Tokyo