I love Lana Del Rey's music, and I don't love feeling cringey. When I do something with a cringe aftertaste, I think of this meme:

And I feel better. The situation may not be the same for the meme creator, maybe they suffered romantic trouble or a financial mistake, but knowing that someone else has experienced that clown dress feeling too helps me feel better about my own error.

Similarly, when I make a technical mistake, Paul Rudd helps me feel better:

This is more a of a gif than a meme but it's my essay and I make the rules. The people behind Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! expertly captured the experience of realizing I made a mistake and realizing that it'll be okay.

Memes like these get retweeted and upvoted because they're universal experiences, but I think the interaction often goes:

see meme --> "mood" --> interact with it --> move on

In a moment of suffering, it's therapeutic to recall a relevant meme. Anxious about the future?

Feeling like you suck at something?

You're not alone.