>Positivity  =  >Well-Being

The Science Supporting Greater Positivity

How do we know the common wisdom, "be positive," is actually wise?

Positive psychologists, along with practitioners from related disciplines, have gathered overwhelming evidence that being more positive increases well-being.  A meta-analysis by Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener (2005) covering hundreds of scientific studies involving over 275,000 people, determined that positivity was not only the result of successful life outcomes but helped cause them.   This was true across different areas of life, regardless of whether success was measured as a satisfying relationships, better health, higher pay, etc.  Similarly, in Authentic Happiness, Seligman (2002) includes better health, greater longevity, a more fulfilling social life, and higher productivity as scientifically supported advantages of positive emotion.  The benefits of positivity are also physiological. Neuroscientists and biologists have determined positive emotion changes our body chemistry; it “reduces basal metabolism, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and muscle tension” (Valiant, 2008, p. 5).  Moreover, positive emotions broaden our perspectives and allow us to build skills and capabilities by enabling us to lean into learning situations (Fredrickson, 2009).    There is more, but the scientific evidence is unambiguous: positivity is good for us in all areas of life! 

Can we increase our positivity?

The scientific research has provided answers here as well. The field of positive psychology, along with other disciplines, have discovered a number positive interventions, periodic intentional activities, that can reliably increase positive emotions (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).   Similarly, researchers have uncovered a number of positive capacities, such as optimism (Gillham & Reivich, 2004), grit (Duckworth & Seligman, 2005) and self-regulation (Baumeister, Gailliot, DeWall, & Oaten, 2006) that have been empirically demonstrated to promote positive action.  The collection of empirically tested positive interventions and positive capacities represent the emotional skills that we can develop and deploy to create greater success and fulfillment.

Is success and fulfillment just about putting on a smiley face?

No!  Real success and fulfillment require thought and action.  But, as researchers have discovered, positive emotion and positive capacities provide the emotional fuel and emotional tools that lead to greater action.  This increased ability to act, in good and bad times, increases the likelihood that you can create the results you want. And, as you create the results you want, your mood and actual abilities improve.  It is through this self-reinforcing mechanism that the emotional skills that lead to positivity power our ability to overcome challenge and flourish.

How is positive psychology different?

The study of positive psychology began as a distinct field of inquiry in the late 1990’s. This area of research is building upon the foundation of traditional behavioral sciences to discover what leads to human flourishing.  The goal of this inquiry is to go beyond traditional psychology, which focuses on curing illness, to understand and promote what leads to human well-being. To do this, researchers in the field insist on using strict scientific methods to empirically test their theories.  The focus on wellness, as opposed to illness, differentiates positive psychology from other behavioral sciences.  The insistence on solid empirical evidence distinguishes the field from simple positive thinking and provides confidence in its findings. 

More of the Scientific Research

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