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The evidence supporting the benefits of positive emotions
Caroline Goldsmith University of East London
Positive emotions have numerous benefits to human well-being, affecting psychological
functioning often driving biological/chemical reactions which impact behaviour and so influence
social interaction. Previous to the positive psychology movement, focus has stressed fixing
models in mental health rather than developing ones. The only way to appreciate the scope of
positive emotional impact is to consider it within a psychological, biological and social context.
The positive psychology approach comes as a long awaited polar opposite to how the field of
psychology in general (or psychology as usual) was preoccupied with considering the
overshadowing focus on disorders and fixing what was wrong with the mind, rather than
exploring what was possible to achieve by developing it.
However it is this discrepancy that the study of positive psychology is now addressing with such
forward thinkers as a founding father of the positive movement Professor Martin Seligman
former president of the American Psychological Association (APA) who states;
Treatment is not just fixing what is wrong it also is building what is right. Psychology is
not just about illness or health it is about work, education ,insight, love, growth and play.
And in this quest for what is best Positive Psychology tries to adapt what is best in the
scientific method to the unique problems that human behaviour presents in all its
complexity. (Seligman, 2002)
Positive psychology research has been sparse with ratios of research into disorders far
outstripping research projects involving positive interventions. In the depression field alone
they are outnumbered five to one. (Hefferon & Boniwell 2011)
With so much research into depression surprisingly, incidence of the disorder was ten times
higher in 2009 than it was in 1950 with 14% of us up for experiencing depression before the age
of 35 compared to 2% in 1950, with a running cost (mainly due to medication) of upwards of
$40 billion a year in the USA alone (Keyes & Michalec)
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Conversely non pharmacological interventions have been show to have far more cost effective
and permanent results (Miklowitz & Scott, 2009)
This discrepancy of focus compared to such abysmal results is likely driving the positive
movement to some degree if not all. However the ‘Positive Psychology’ movement is not new
as a title and as early as the 1950’psychologists like Maslow were speculating on the
possibilities of exploring the positive possibilities of the brain rather than a broken-fix-it focus,
which as an idea was brilliant but
…lacked any theoretical basis and got lost in the self help movement which banished it to
the levels of a narcissistic inward looking focus at the expense of societal wellbeing.
(Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi,2000)
Fifty years on the scientific evidenced based study of positive emotions and how to ingratiate
them into human functioning is the focus of most of the new movement. To define what we
mean by ‘positive emotions’ we turn to one of the most proficient researchers in the field
today Barbara Fredrickson formerly of Stanford University.
Professor Fredrickson purports the top ten positive emotions to be, Joy, Gratitude, Serenity,
Interest, Hope, Pride, Amusement, Inspiration, Awe and what connects them all as component
parts and should probably be first and not last, the emotion of Love (Fredrickson, 2009).
So now we have our definition of positive emotions and a framework in which to discuss their
benefits we can look at how they impact upon human development, enrichment and flourishing
in a psychological, biological and social context.
Positive emotion impact was discussed at length by Fredrickson in her main work, the Broaden-
and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions, put forward to explain the dynamics of how positive
emotions were crucial to human survival as they impact on increasing cognition and the
amount of varied behaviours an individual has at their disposal to respond to any given
situation.
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Arguing that all emotional responses lead to categoric action tendencies, Fredrickson
postulated that positive emotions potentially increase the number of behavioural options when
emotions are considered as contributing directly to ‘momentary thought action repertoires’
(Fredrickson, 2001)
How this contributes to a longer and more permanent state of mind when they are only
‘momentary’ Fredrickson argues, is that exposure produces behaviours that can become
habitual and ingrained so they become another option or part of the ‘repetoire’
Further when one considers what happens when exposed to positive emotions such as
Gratitude, Joy and Amusement with people, although the emotions are fleeting they could lead
one to form more permanent social bonds which enrich life with deeper meaning and
happiness leading to much fuller lives than being alone.
Fredrickson and her colleague Marcial Losada took the idea a stage further in a later paper
where they argued there were precise mathematical values of an individual's emotional
positivity-to-negativity ratio, which if breached the individual fails to flourish and if severe
enough can even fail to function (Fredrickson and Losada 2005).
The paper however came under severe criticism later by Brown et al (2013) who marveled at
the calculations and put it that Losada (the main statistician) had applied a faulty calculation
system and come up with values suited more to chemistry than psychology (Brown, Sokal &
Friedman, 2013) However while Fredrickson did concede the point on the actual mathematical
values, maintained that the principal of a 3:1 ratio of positive to negative emotions was
beneficial to well being, stood as a solid concept. (Fredrickson, 2013)
Notably Losada failed to comment on the entire issue.
Fredrickson talked about cognitive flexibility which had been explored previously, since the
1970’s in fact by Carol Dweck who gave a succinct definition in her fascinating work on
Mindsets where she stated that there were two basic states of human functioning considering
their approach to life in general, divided into Fixed and Growth Mindsets.
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fixed mindset is where you believe that your personal qualities (such as intelligence) or
abilities (such as musical talent or sporting prowess) are carved in stone, whereas if you
have a growth mindset you believe that your personal qualities and abilities can be
changed or developed over time. (Dweck, 2006).
Mindsets are important when considering how much can be affected by them such as, goals we
may choose to pursue, our response to failure and tenacity to see a task to completion, efforts
exerted to achieve ambition, how we deal with failure when it arises and if we have good
problem solving abilities for solutions.
However there can be different mindsets in the same person for different situation, possibly
because we are motivated by different objectives towards different people.
As parents we may want to show that we are all sweetness and light and live in an ideal world,
so the offspring take the best message from what we teach, but in the world of work we could
be quite the opposite. Then in the role as children ourselves of our parents we have a different
way of operating with them. It could possibly be that real personal growth may depend on
unifying all those roles and coming to a one-set of consistent personal standards to live by.
Dwecks’ growth mindset it could be argued was a foundation springboard to expand upon the
plasticity of the brains repertoire of broaden and build responses brought about by the knock
on effects of positive emotions theorized by Fredrickson.
Although we know the names of the emotions we need to go a bit further and categorise them
as distinct states of mind to be a little more precise in what we want to explore. Therefore to
dispel two often interchangeable terms, moods and emotions is useful.
Peterson defines an emotion as a ‘psychological state defined by subjective feelings but also
characteristic patterns of physiological arousal, thought and behaviours’ (2006 p73, cited in
Boniwell & Hefferon (2011) p23) and Boniwell and Hefferon (2011) put forward an easy concept
when they describe a mood as ‘background noise’
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So to clarify, we are more aware of an emotion - in the foreground and short lived and less
aware of a mood - in the background and goes on for longer
As it would be beneficial to discuss emotions from the origins of where they occur, this brings
us to two main interlinked theories connected to an area of the brain concerned with higher
executive functioning called the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC).
Neuroscientist Davidson (2003) postulates that emotions originate in this area and are driven
by our rate of progress towards valued goals.
As the (PFC) is the area of the brain where we process higher executive functions it follows that
emotions are like a by-product of these higher executive thoughts or ‘feedback’ on where we
are at any given moment in our journey to those goals, which can be attainment or avoidance
goals.
Therefore if our executive function is driving us to thoughts or actions that facilitate us nearer
to what we want to achieve, we feel positive emotions, but if we do something that takes us
further away from the goal we feel negative emotion.
It could be argued that emotions act rather like a gatekeeper to certain brain states and if they
veer too far into the negative can trigger malfunctions such as depression by affecting the
balance of neuro-chemicals such as Dopamine and Serotonin which are central to mood
regulation. (Tucker & Williamson, 1984)
Exposure to positive emotions on the other hand can trigger states of ‘flow’ in the brain where
Csikszentmihalyi, (1988) described how skill and challenge levels combine in favored activities
to elicit an auto-pilot state navigating the challenges of the task with optimum effectiveness
being so caught in the moment as to enjoy and relish the task or engagement we are working or
participating in.
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In this state the brain remains in a theta state of relaxation. However every brain state has its
downsides and wanting to remain in flow could become a habit by forming addictions to
activities that produce the state so self discipline has to come into regulating ones flow
experiences, as it would be counter-productive engaging in video gaming, shopping or gambling
all day long. The cautionary note aside flow is often experienced in productive situations such
as lecturing or artistic endeavors.
A tendency to be either negative or positive in outlook has significant consequences, and seeing
the best or the worst in things could even determine how long you live.
Danner et al (2001) found such a correlation with the Nuns Study prompted when a wonderful
stash of old intake paperwork was found. On entering the convent the Sisters (average age 22)
were required to write a biography of their life. Years later it was these writings the researchers
categorized as having either a positive or negative tone and then correlated this against
lifespan.
Probably due to a lifestyle where they were well taken care of approximately 60% lived to a ripe
old age and were between 75 – 95 when the study began but when they started to die off there
was a direct relationship with the negative thinkers definitely dying first. Interestingly at
autopsy the positive brains available for research were found to have no Alzheimer’s disease.
Bringing us to the neurobiological effects of positive emotions, shown to even undo stress and
have other protective health benefits according to research on Cortisol levels.
Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), the primary stimulator of adrenal Cortisol production, is
synthesized by the pituitary in response to corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), which is
released by the hypothalamus and acts in conjunction with the sleep hormone melatonin. We
need Cortisol to motivate and snap us awake in the morning and we need melatonin’s anti
oxidant properties to calm us, repair cells and help us drop off to sleep at night.
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They rise and fall in a direct relationship with each other, but melatonin is able to cross the
blood brain barrier unlike other anti oxidants.
However exposed to regular stress, Cortisol levels do not rise and drop in a helpful pattern but
remain constantly, inhibiting melatonin production impacting upon sleep patterns, diabetes,
cardiovascular, and mental health. Cortisol is a further cause of oxidative stress when it
remains in the blood stream preventing antioxidant reactions (Von Treuer et al 1996)
Promoting positive emotions lowers Cortisol and does it faster than any other emotional
response, which can be achieved with relaxation, walking in nature surroundings, socializing,
being creative and exercise . Outlook can also be a factor in that looking at things with a
positive reflection and finding positive meaning in past events or experiences promote positive
emotions (Fredrickson 2005).
It is often said ‘things happen for a reason’ and finding meaning that there was a positive
correlation to a negative experience can help to promote positive emotions which lead to more
involvement and fulfillment in relationships as happy people are then more sociable.
Although the topic of ‘happiness’ is too ambiguous to go into here positive emotions play a
large part in the construct of Subjective Wellbeing (SWB) which is often what the study of
happiness entails.
Briefly, (SWB) refers to what a person thinks and feels about their life, in other words the sum
of their satisfaction with life, plus high positive emotions and low negative emotions. It could
be expressed in the following terms: SWB = SWL + high PA + low NA (Boniwell, 2008)
Levels of happiness can be measured on self report psychometric tests such as PANAS (Watson
et al 1988) or SPANE (Diener et al 2009)
In studies on (SWB) it is often found that relationships play a large part in people’s happiness in
fact more than material wealth and possessions therefore encouraging positive emotions and
participating in activities that enhance positive thinking impacts on our social functioning also.
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Feeling positive or feeling happy often makes us want to be with others or do nice things with
or for others as in the research by Weinstein and Ryan (2010) on helping behaviours. However
this had some interesting conclusions in that what turned out to be important was how the
help was given.
The researchers found that people like to be helped but only by others who are happy to do it
and don’t begrudge it. So doing things for people because it will be paid, or we feel guilty or
because we are told will not have as great an impact on the positive emotions of the giver or
the receiver, as would purely altruistic acts of kindness.
Humor (amusement) is one of the most powerful positive emotions which according to Keltner
and Bonanno (1997) who make a very profound observation, it often happens that when a
person is finding things funny again it signifies the end of isolated grief or sadness and shows
that they are ready to get back into social interaction, as people will likely find it easier to
approach them.
Even laughing at ourselves is a very socially acceptable trait and often a mark of self
acceptance in that one can be aware of faults and laugh about how they come into play but
conversely hearing the same fault in a sarcastic way from another person is often hurtful
(Lefcourt, 2002)
According to Dixon (1980) humor has evolved as an alternative response to anger and violence
which he argues were much more acceptable in primitive times and as we no longer need to kill
and main each other to get on or get ahead, we now laugh to resolve conflict. Which would
perhaps carry more weight as a theory if we no longer killed or maimed.
The theory has further weaknesses when one considers that often violent people do have a
sense of humor if you catch them at the right time.
However, putting those reservations aside there is no doubt that humor eases all kinds of social
interaction and when one finds something to laugh about with another person it is very hard to
be angry with them.
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The benefits of Positive Emotions extend far reaching consequences to our optimum
psychological, biological and social well being. Neuro-chemical reactions, driven by emotions,
impact our psychological/physiological health including diabetes, cardiovascular and mental
health outcomes. As the new positive psychology movement pursues the flourish-it rather than
fix-it model of intervention this field will continue to astound and inspire us to unlock the
potential of the fascinating and yet to be discovered secrets of optimum positive functioning.
WORD COUNT 2,712
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