You come home from a hard day at work, feeling tired and down. Opening the front door, you are hit with the sights, sounds, and aromas of a dinner party in progress. You see family and friends smiling, laughing, sharing stories and food. Right away, your mood brightens. You forget […]
It's challenging to focus on the bright side while living in a fast-paced world and being immersed in an influx of information heavily centered on negative events. While adversity is part of our common humanity, it does not mean that there is no space for brighter things to happen. Intentionally […]
Emotions are one of the most complex biological processes of humankind. The word dates back to 1579 from the French word emouvoir, which means “to stir up” (Dixon, 2003). Emotions are experienced physically, influenced by thoughts, and guide our actions and behavior. They are powerful. They can be debilitating but […]
Standing at the front of the church, giving my father’s eulogy, I felt equally vulnerable and empowered. The situation was bigger than me, and the vulnerability I experienced was not so much a coping mechanism as being authentic. Why is it that many of us only show our vulnerable side […]
Aristotle spoke of the pleasures inherent in the cathartic release of tension. Catharsis has since been used within the mental health field as a way of describing the practice of emotional expression, which is essential for communicating our needs, desires, and emotions (Brackett & Simmons, 2015). Plus, being able to […]
Emotions are part of who we are; however, many of us have a difficult relationship with negative emotions. We consider them uncomfortable and problematic. As a species, we are primed to avoid pain and suffering to ensure our survival. Cue: enter ‘emotional repression.’ Emotional repression is all about avoiding emotional […]
“Wasn’t me!” she said with a guilty smile. Denial is a powerful defense mechanism. Some people rely more heavily on denial in a crisis situation than others. When a person utilizes denial or another defense mechanism, they often end up feeling worse and in even more distress. This is because […]
Human emotions evolved so that we can respond quickly to life-or-death situations. After all, while fear may prevent us from behaving in a ‘life-limiting’ way, anger can drive us to protect ourselves or those closest to us. While evidence suggests some emotions are universal, there is no one-size-fits-all emotional balance […]
The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule or (PANAS) is a scale that consists of different words that describe feelings and emotions. (Magyar-Moe, 2009). One of these scales measures positive affect, and the other measures negative affect. Positive affect refers to the propensity to experience positive emotions and interact with others […]
Emotions signal threats and rewards. Much like a compass that guides us in the right direction, emotions have the power to guide us to the right actions. For example, when a child commits a mistake, he might get scared and lie to his parents about it, or avoid confronting them […]
Used to describe a person’s ability to manage and respond to emotional experiences, emotion regulation is a concept receiving ever-growing interest in mental health and psychotherapy research. Regardless of the source, unchecked emotions have the potential to spin out of control and escalate to regrettable and sometimes distressing situations and […]
You might think that positive psychology is all about positive emotions. You’d be forgiven for thinking that, given positive psychology’s inherent positive bent! But the field isn’t all about positive emotions. Negative emotions are an inevitable part of life and something that we need to experience in order to have […]
We all experience emotions from an early age. As adults attempting to navigate the often chaotic world of modern life, the range of emotions we experience in a day can change dramatically. Our ability to feel and respond to our emotions is often taken for granted. We rarely stop to […]
The difference between “affect” and “effect” is hard enough for a lot of us to grasp. Which is which, again? Do I have an affect or an effect on my spouse? Does my spelling affect my grade or effect my grade? Keeping track of these two different versions can prove […]
On a typical day, we all implicitly make predictions about future events. For instance, you may predict that your partner will return home in a sour mood because of recent work challenges. Likewise, you may find yourself anticipating a reminder from your massage therapist, letting you know that you’re due […]
It is probably not a surprise to you that positivity is, inherently, at the center of positive psychology. Positivity doesn’t always refer to simply smiling and looking cheerful, however—positivity is more about one’s overall perspective on life and their tendency to focus on all that is good in life. In […]
What does it mean to flourish? As a person, I mean. We can probably agree that a plant which is healthy and blooming can be said to “flourish,” and that a business that is booming and raking in record profit is “flourishing.” But what does it mean for a human […]
Automatic thoughts are images, words, or other kinds of mental activity that pop into your head in response to a trigger. These thoughts can seem mundane or unimportant, but they can, in fact, be extremely impactful. The types of automatic thoughts a person has can affect their health outcomes as […]
Most people like to feel good, and positive emotions just plain feel good. They don’t necessarily need a reason or cause behind them for us to enjoy them; we just do. Experiencing emotions like happiness, excitement, joy, hope, and inspiration is vital for anyone who wants to lead a happy […]
As humans, we will never have complete control over what we feel, but we have a lot more influence over how we feel than you might have heard. The skills that allow you to manage and direct your emotions are called emotion regulation skills (see self-regulation), and it doesn’t take […]
The term “Emotion-Focused Therapy” may sound a little redundant. After all, what kind of therapy ignores the client’s emotions? A therapy that ignored the emotions of those who participated will probably not be very effective. While many other kinds of therapy focus on the emotions of clients, both intra- and […]
Happiness is such a central concept in life that not many people pause to consider what happiness is and why we strive so tirelessly to attain it. The pursuit of happiness is not just an abstract idea but a tenet integral to humanity. It is encoded in Western culture for […]
Researchers have found new ways to increase positive emotions and well-being. Psychologists including Martin Seligman, Barbara Fredrickson, Jon Kabat-Zin, and Amy Cuddy, have shared findings to help increase the level of positivity you can experience in your life. The six techniques described below have all been shown to boost positive […]
Throughout history, psychologists have typically focused on negative human states. This focus ultimately influenced the way psychologists studied the experience of emotions; for years, investigations typically targeted negative emotions like anxiety, anger, and depression. Consequently, one critical question remained unanswered: What good are positive emotions? This question was the title […]
