POSITIVE EMOTIONS

What are positive emotions?

Positive psychologists typically measure people’s emotional experience in terms of both the
positive and the negative affective dimensions.

Emotions come in 2 basic forms positive and negative affect.

1. Positive affect refers to emotions such as cheerfulness, joy, contentment and happiness.
2. Negative affect refers to emotion such as anger, fear, sadness, guilt, contempt and disgust.

EVIDENCE FOR THIS CONCLUSION COMES FROM 2 PRIMARY SOURCES:

1. Analyses of people self-reported emotional experiences show that positive and negative
affect form a basic underlying structure for people’s emotional lives. Studies also shows
that differences in people’s characteristics levels of positive and negative affective
experiences are significantly related to measures of personality and well-being.
2. Physiological studies have found a pattern of nervous system arousal, brain activity,
hormonal and neurotransmitter output that distinguishes positive from negative emotions
but no clear distinctions between discrete (separate) positive or negative emotions, i.e., our
bodies seem to be doing something different when we are in a positive emotional state
versus when we are in a negative state but physiologically speaking it is hard to tell whether
someone is happy, joyful, or contended.

These studies help to identify the physiological functions of positive emotions.

Barbara Fredrickson’s (2001) “The Broaden-And-Build Theory of Positive Emotions”

 This theory of positive emotions provides an overview of positive emotions help build
physical, psychological and social resources.
 This is one of the first theories describing the potential value of positive emotions.
 An understanding of negative emotions (such as anger and fear) has been worked out in
relation to evolution and survival and the concept is clear. However, until Fredrickson’s
theory, positive emotions not only received little attention, but were not regarded as
having much importance, other than making us feel good.

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  The broaden-and-build theory describes how positive emotions open up our thinking
and actions to new possibilities and how this expansion can help build physical,
psychological and social resources that promote well-being.

Two distinctions are important to the focus of Frederickson's theory:

1. BETWEEN MOOD AND EMOTION- mood refers to our overall feelings over a long
period of time (a week or month) e.g., I’ve been in a bad mood all week, we make a
statement about our general emotional state.
 Emotions are more temporary states that are tied to personally meaningful events
e.g., feeling proud because you got a first class would express a particular emotion.
 Mood is either a pleasant or unpleasant feeling (e.g., a good mood or a bad mood).
 Emotions often fall into discrete, highly specific categories like anger, fear, joy,
disgust or surprise.
 Fredrickson’s theory is focused on discrete positive emotions like joy, love, interest.
Her theory describe the effects of positive emotions as essentially opposite to the
effects of negative emotions.
2. FREDRICKSON (2002) believes that positive emotions should not be confused with
simple sensory pleasures such as sexual gratification or eating when you are hungry.
 These feelings are associated with positive feelings but she considers sensory
pleasures as relatively automatic responses to physiological needs.
 In contrast positive emotions are more psychological in nature and depend on the
appraisal and meaning of events in people’s lives rather than just physical stimulation
of the body.
 This theory is not related to the pleasures of the body even though these may have their
benefits.
 Her description of the value of positive emotions begins with a contrast to negative
emotions.
 The purpose of negative emotions like anger and fear is associated with a tendency to
engage in specific kinds of actions.
 e.g., fear is associated with a desire to escape.

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 Anger is associated with a desire to attack or fight, i.e., the concept of specific action
tendencies does not mean that people always act in a specific way as a result of a particular
negative emotions.
 The effect of negative emotions is to narrow the focus of our thoughts and possible actions,
e.g., think of the last time you were very angry with someone because he or she hurt your
feelings.
 From a biological and evolutionary perspective the negative emotions which narrows
thoughts and actions contribute to our survival.
 Positive emotions however do not fit very well with the notion of specific action tendencies.
 According to Fredrickson emotions like joy are related to more diffuse (not concentrated)
rather than specific behaviors and thoughts.
 Positive emotions share the ability which help to build personal resources ranging from
physical and intellectual resources to social and psychological resources.
 The benefits of positive emotions are more general and long term than the more specific
short term effects of negative emotions.
1. Joy creates a desire to play, to explore new possibilities and to express our creative
talents.
2. Play is an important activity in the development of children.
3. Physical play helps build strength and stamina.
4. Play involving puzzle solving, artistic expression contributes to the development
of intellectual and creative talents.
5. Play involving fun and laughter helps build positive relationship and attachments
to others.
6. Fredrickson describes 4 ways that positive emotions can broaden our thought,
action and build our personal resources to increase well-being.

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 THE BROADEN & BUILD THEORY OF POSITIVE EMOTIONS

Transform people and produce

upward spirals

Build enduring personal

resources

Broaden momentary thought-

action repertoires

Experiences of positive
emotions

1. Positive Emotions Broaden Our Thought Action Repertoires (Performing):- Negative

emotions tend to narrow our thoughts, e.g., anger and fear leads to become self-focused
and absorbed in emotions.
 Positive emotions help to open up people’s thinking to a wider possible actions and
more options.
 In a study in 2001 Fredrickson and her colleagues asked research participants to
watch emotionally charged film clips.
 The clips induced one of 4 emotions: joy, contentment, anger or fear.
 A neutral non-emotional clip served as a control condition.
 After watching the film clip, participants were asked to think of a situation that
created feelings similar to those aroused by the film clip.
 They were asked to list all the things they would like to do right then, i.e., they were
asked what came to mind as actions they would like to take.
 The results supported the B&B theory. In joy and contentment conditions people
described more things they would like to do right then, than people in anger and fear
conditions.
 Positive emotions helps build intellectual resources for solving important life
problems, because the more options we consider, the more likely we are to find an
effective solution

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2. Positive Emotions Undo Negative Emotions: - Our thinking and possible actions are
narrowed by negative emotions and broadened by positive emotions.
 Combinations of emotional feelings e.g., joyfully sad, fearfully relaxed, are
certainly possible but the simultaneous experience of both intense positive and
intense negative emotions seems unlikely.
 But it is possible that positive emotions might undo the effects of negative
emotions.
 Fredrickson and her colleagues examined the cardiovascular consequences of
negative and positive emotions.
 Whether positive emotions would speed up recovery from cardio-activity by
negative emotions.
 Negative emotions like fear increase cardio-activity, where more blood flows to
skeletal muscles necessary for a possible fight or flight response.
3. Positive Emotions Enhance Resilience: - Resilience is the ability to bounce back from
stressful events and regain composure and a sense of well-being.
 Positive emotions may increase our resilience and ability to cope by lowering the
effects of negative emotions caused by stressful experiences.
 To see the relationship between positive emotions and resilience, Fredrickson
(2001) measured the students self-reported resilience in a scale that assess how
strong and confident people feel when facing challenge and stress.
 Students showed high levels of resilience.
 Reported more positive emotions.
4. Positive Emotions Build Enduring Resources And Improve Well-Being:- Negative
mood causes more pessimism and more pessimism causes intensified negative mood.
 According to Fredrickson, positive emotions may create a comparable upward spiral
of well-being.
 Research has shown that positive emotions-broaden our outlook and broadened
outlook and increased resilience, increase the experience of positive emotions, builds
our physical resources(for fighting disease) psychological resource( for coping with
stress) and social resources(support from others).
 These help to deal with nearly all life challenges.
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