Positive emotions are a natural reaction to events and experiences in our lives. These reactions strengthen us, support us and give us the motivation we need to continue on with life. Positive emotions are also called "happy hormones," because they always help us feel good. They can have a beneficial effect not only on our physical health but also on our mental health too.
You know the feeling! That positive happy vibe you get when you see the sunrise, finish a good workout, or read an uplifting story. These are all examples of positive emotions that psychology has studied and documented in new ways thanks to recent advancements in technology.
An emotion begins with how an individual perceives a situation (Fredrickson, 2011). It originates in processing information to an individual’s conscious and unconscious level (Andries, 2011).
Emotional experiences may affect a person's functioning in both positive and bad ways. People's life revolves around their emotions on both an interpersonal and intrapersonal level. Emotion is a conscious experience that encompasses personal feelings, expressive reactions, and observable behaviors that are tied to an event. It is both intellectual and motivating, and it has a significant influence on how people behave
According to Fredrickson (2011), positive emotion has the ability to broaden people’s momentary thought-action repertoires; it also builds their physical, intellectual, social, and psychological resources.
The goal of positive psychology is to understand and promote the conditions that enable a person to thrive. They identify individuals who can adapt and adjust to life in unique and innovative ways
Studies have shown that people who have good emotions are more likely to be successful and productive across a variety of life domains; academics is one of those life domains.
Positive emotions signal that a person's life is going well, therefore they cause them to evaluate situations as desirable. When experienced, positive emotions help people grow both in the here and now and for situations that may arise in the future. Positive emotions enhance psychological development, well-being, and health; they also tend to make individuals live longer.
These feelings are linked to requirements, objectives, and advantages. Positive emotions are pleasant moods that are accompanied by bodily manifestations with a high level of awareness, therefore these assists preserve the processed information to be pleasant.
Positive emotions are divided into two categories: activating (such as enthusiasm, optimism, or pride) and deactivating (relief, relaxation, etc.). The beneficial feeling may be turned off without necessarily having a positive outcome.
Negative emotion, which is defined as a person's limited capacity to be in contact with their own feelings, is a hindrance to completing goals (Andrie's, 2011). Accepting bad emotions is important for a person's growth and self-understanding since negative feelings are often necessary for people to live and grow. However, unpleasant emotions can also increase memory recall and the likelihood of recalling specifics. People with strong levels of negative emotions frequently restrict themselves from accomplishments.
Negative emotions are unpleasant states that are accompanied by physical manifestation with a low level of awareness; it is in a dysfunctional way that people become prone to negative thinking or keeping the processing of information towards undesirable situations to be perceived in a threatening way. People are driven to various activities like plays, poetry, art, and more to convey various bad emotions such as melancholy, tragedy, failure, etc.
Negative emotions have the power to ruin a person's life or potential, but they are inevitable during the learning process, and as long as precautions are followed, they may be successfully channelled.
To advance understanding in this area, a new theoretical model was formulated to better capture the unique effects of positive emotions which are called the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions (Fredrickson, 1998). According to this theory, some distinct positive emotions, such as joy, interest, contentment, pride, and love, all have the power to expand people's fleeting thought-action repertoires and develop their enduring personal resources, which can include everything from physical and intellectual resources to social and psychological resources. Further, according to Fredrickson, pleasant emotions can enhance human wellness and flourish by enhancing thought-action repertoires, which can then serve as "effective antidotes for the lingering consequences of negative emotions." Positive emotions are therefore important to cultivate not only as a means to an end but also "as a means to achieve psychological growth and improved psychological and physical well-being over time," as they "predict optimal functioning in this sense not only momentarily but also over the long-term."
The five key premises were determined by Fredrickson (2004) in order to develop and support her thesis. The claims include
the expansion of thought-action repertoires by positive emotions;
the eradication of lingering negative emotions;
the development of psychological resiliency;
the development of personal resources; and
the promotion of psychological and physical well-being by positive emotions.
Studies have supported the idea that feeling good emotions might help you control how you react to stress and speed up your recovery from its harmful consequences. Positive feelings may really function as a protective barrier between you and difficult life situations, enabling you to cope with them more skilfully and maintain your mental health.
Additionally, happy feelings can help people cope better, which improves health by protecting people from depressive symptoms. Additionally, practicing mindfulness and taking the time to appreciate good feelings might work as an additional defense against the symptoms of depression while also enhancing psychological health and life satisfaction.
Relationships (romantic, friendships, and family), therapy and counselling outcomes, academic performance, and personal growth have all been found to be positively impacted by happy emotions. Enhancements and improvements in the areas of work life, physical and mental health, social connections, community participation, and income have all been attributed to positive emotions. These areas are all either directly or indirectly connected to employment.
Positive emotions and how they affect our lives have never garnered greater interest—and for good reason! Numerous advantages in relationships, one's health and well-being, and at work are associated with positive feelings. By keeping up with news on positive emotions, you will be following a promising and active field of study.