Positive Emotions makes us feel good. But is that all?

What’s all the hoo har about positive emotions? We get it, we are sometimes happy, elated, satisfied, joyous, and we like that, but why are they such a big deal? Why are we always searching for the Holy Grail of being positive all the time? Are we supposed to avoid negative emotions? What does positive emotions do for us? What’s the big deal? In this Blog, taken from an article published by PositivePscyhology.com, all your questions will be answered!

Aside from simply feeling good, positive emotions are also an important piece of the happiness puzzle.

While you will probably not achieve lasting happiness and well-being based on temporary, hedonic pleasure alone, positive emotions often provide the foundation for those fleeting but meaningful moments that make life worth living; for example, the joy of saying “I do” to your significant other, the love that overwhelms you upon holding your newborn for the first time, or the immense satisfaction you get from achieving something great in your career.

Although positive emotions may seem to have little purpose besides making us “feel good,” they actually do a few very important jobs.

The “point” of positive emotions depends on who you ask; you will likely get a different answer from experts in different fields.

An evolutionary psychologist might respond “to enhance human beings’ chances of survival and reproduction.”

A social psychologist might say “to form the bonds that connect us to others.”

A positive psychologist may say “to make life worth living.”

Or, they might say “to broaden our awareness and build our inner resources.” That is the gist of Barbara Fredrickson’s ground-breaking “Broaden-and-Build Theory” of positive emotions. 

Fredrickson introduced the Broaden-and-Build Theory of positive emotions in 1998. The theory provides a convincing explanation of the “point” of positive emotions: to open our minds, broaden and expand our awareness, and facilitate the building and development of resources, including knowledge, skills, abilities, and relationships.

In the words of Fredrickson herself:

“…these positive emotions broaden an individual’s momentary thought-action repertoire: joy sparks the urge to play, interest sparks the urge to explore, contentment sparks the urge to savour and integrate, and love sparks a recurring cycle of each of these urges within safe, close relationships.”

(2004, p. 1367).

The effects of these emotions are in sharp contrast to the effects of negative emotions, or those experienced in a dangerous situation (e.g., fear, terror, anxiety), which usually have the effect of narrowing our focus and limiting our myriad options to the one or two best suited for survival.

In such situations, these automatic responses are vital for ensuring that we make it out alive; however, in situations that are not life-threatening, we don’t need such a narrow perspective or limiting of options.

This is where positive emotions are more advantageous—instead of limiting our scope, they expand it to allow for creative thought and action. Instead of narrowing our focus to one or two responses, they expand our awareness to take in the much wider array of responses we can choose from.

This broadening of our horizons allows us to play, to learn, and to acquire lasting knowledge and skills that we can carry with us throughout our lives. These resources may be physical, emotional, psychological, social, and even mental, but no matter what kind of resources we acquire through this broadening, they are enduring.

So, what are benefits of Positive Emotions?

Among the many health benefits of positive emotions is a reduction in stress and a boost to general well-being. Positive emotions can actually act as a buffer between you and stressful events in your life, allowing you to cope more effectively and preserve your mental health (Tugade, Fredrickson, & Barrett, 2004).

In addition, in 2006 researchers confirmed that experiencing positive emotions helps you modulate your reaction to stress and allows you to recover from the negative effects of stress more quickly (Ong, Bergeman, Bisconti, & Wallace).

Positive emotions may also protect you from the sniffles! Students who were randomly assigned to writing about intense, positive experiences for three days, 20 minutes a day, made significantly fewer visits to the student health centre for symptoms of illness, compared to students who wrote about a neutral topic (Burton & King, 2004).

Experiencing positive emotions may also encourage individuals to make healthier decisions, indirectly contributing to better health. Herzenstein (2008) found that several positive emotions lead to a variety of health benefits, including:

• Happiness resulted in increased risk- and variety-seeking and gain-focused behaviour and,

• Contentment resulted in increased risk avoidance and loss-focused behaviour.

Positive emotions can also facilitate more effective coping, which boosts health by providing a buffer against symptoms of depression (Dolphin, Steinhardt, & Cance, 2015). In addition, being mindful and taking the time to savour positive emotions can provide an extra buffer against symptoms of depression while boosting psychological well-being and life satisfaction (Kiken, Lundberg, & Fredrickson, 2017).

Another health benefit of positive emotions is that they may result in a stronger heart; Kok and colleagues (2013) found a connection between a healthy heart rate and the experience of positive social emotions. Similarly, a meta-analysis of several studies found that well-being was significantly related to good cardiovascular functioning, general health, and longevity overall (Howell, Kern, & Lyubomirsky, 2007).

A Take-Home Message

There has never been more interest in positive emotions and their effect on our lives—and for good reason! Positive emotions are linked to numerous benefits in relationships, in one’s health and well-being, and in the workplace. Be more aware of the impact positive emotions have on you and start living a better life!

From an article written for Positive Psychology.com by Courtney Ackerman, MA, who is a graduate of the positive organizational psychology and evaluation program at Claremont Graduate University. She is currently working as a researcher for the State of California and her professional interests include survey research, wellbeing in the workplace, and compassion.