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Jane Doe

Dr. Kendra MacLaren

English 521

November 27, 2023

The Impacts of Positivity

The impacts of positive thinking are deep and widespread. In most cases, positivity can

improve both mental and physical health by ameliorating lifestyles, reducing depression and the

risk of contracting certain diseases (Mayo Clinic). In other cases though, positivity can be, well,

a negative thing. Like other things, too much positivity can cause problems that can be harmful

and dangerous. Regardless of the effects, positivity affects the lives of everyone, for some

starting at a young age, and for others learned later. In this essay, I will show how the theme of

positivity and it’s impacts are true and varied, and how each text enhances or diminishes the

message.

The theme of positivity is first explored in a factual, concrete way in “Positive thinking:

Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress” written by experts at the Mayo Clinic. When I heard that

positive thinking could actually improve my physical health, my first instinct was to look at the

proof, which meant turning to the medical professionals. The article is about the impact of

positive thinking, from the physical benefits of positivity, to how to fight negativity. The article

says that positive thinking, or “approach[ing] unpleasantness in a more positive and productive

way”, can lower depression, pain, risk of sicknesses such as cancer or respiratory conditions,

prolong your life and create a healthier, happier you (Mayo Clinic “Positivity”). The reason why

positive thinking can improve both mental and physical health, is believed to be because of better
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stress management, which is in turn attributed to better health (Mayo Clinic). Also a cause of

improved health is the lifestyle that comes with positivity - a lifestyle prone to less drinking,

healthier eating, and increased physical activity (Mayo Clinic). This shows how positivity can

have a profound impact on your health, while giving useful tips for how to cultivate your

positive thinking skills.

Learning about a theme from an informative article, such as the article from the Mayo

Clinic offers a diverse and informative perspective that I could relate to. With the the effects of

positive thinking being disputed as legitimate, an informational text provided assurance by way

of cited sources and proof that what I was learning about was in fact true. Although it provided

concrete examples of how to improve positive thinking, like surrounding yourself with positive

people, being open to laughing and smiling during tough times, or telling yourself positive

things, much like what you’d tell others, (Mayo Clinic) is not as fun or entertaining as a video

would have been. Informative articles must present both sides of an argument, making them, in

my opinion, less memorable than say a video or visual because all the warnings must be

explained. All in all, an informative article is an efficient way to explain the impacts of positivity,

which I have learned have real, tangible benefits to my overall health. This article reminded me

of gym classes from throughout school. When we were playing sports I knew how to play, or in a

team with my friends, I participated far more than when we played sports individually or that I

didn’t like. Now that I have read the article, I realized that I participated more, and improved my

physical health because I was happy and positive about the class and about doing something I

liked. In this text, I learned that positivity is so much more than just a far out theory. With the

right steps, anyone can become more positive, and reap the rewards of the hard work.
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In contrast, the cartoon “Optimism” by Ouzounian was chosen to show the less explored

negative side of positivity - the dangers of too much, and was reminiscent of toxic positivity. The

satiric cartoon depicts a man and a woman, Lola, walking around a seemingly deserted corner,

with the man saying “Nothing can darken our future, Lola!” when unbeknownst to them, a mob

of men in masks wielding clubs are waiting for them just out of sight (Ouzounian). The visual

shows the impacts of positivity in the extreme causing ignorance and an inability to think of the

dangers (Ouzounian). The couple are walking alone, in a place devoid of other people yet the

man is unable to to think of possible dangers, such as being attacked, because of his positivity.

Positive thinking, although it can improve wellness, can also be a downfall as it makes people

blind to the possible negatives. The idea presented in the cartoon is similar to toxic positivity, a

hot topic that has gained attention is the past few years. Toxic positivity is a pressure to only look

on the bright side, so much so that it can actually cause severe mental health problems such as

anxiety, feelings of guilt and inadequacy (AIA Group). The pandemic gave way to a flood of

toxic positivity related to jobs, COVID-19 and quarantine that delegitimized and invalidated

people’s feelings of sadness or anxiety and whitewashed them in optimism and positivity -

causing people to feel self conscious for feeling what they did (Marie). For example, if someone

lost their job because of pandemic related cut backs, toxic positivity would be someone saying

“Well at least you aren’t on a ventilator with COVID” or “why are you upset, just be grateful for

what you have”. This approach wouldn’t allow the person to feel angry, sad or scared that they

were unemployed, and could cause depression. Therefore, toxic positivity can help explain an

aspect of positivity as it is quite similar to the cartoon. Both display the negative impacts of

extreme positivity caused by no regard for the realistic dangers present in a given situation.
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The medium of using a cartoon to express this face of positivity greatly enhanced the

message, and appeals to a broader audience than other methods such as informative articles. The

cartoon, intended to be humorous brings a lighter approach to a negative topic, and makes it

accessible to everyone. Not everyone can or wants to sit through a ten minute video or read

mountains of paragraphs, so putting an important idea in a cartoon - a mere split second

captured, can carry the intended message to a much larger audience. It also gives the everyday

person the ability to see themselves in the characters’ shoes and apply what they have learned to

a situation they may face in the future. Certain aspects of the visual were grossly exaggerated - a

mob of men in masks that look to have jumped from the screen of The Looney Tunes or some

other children’s cartoon, yet it makes it more interesting, attention grabbing and memorable. I

believe that this cautionary tale will change how I think about situations in the future, and make

sure I always acknowledge the potential dangers in a given situation.

The next way the theme of positivity is shown is in a TEDx Talk presented by Shawn

Achor, a Harvard professor who teaches positive psychology. The TEDx Talk, titled “The

Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance” talks about the process that leads

to positivity and happiness and how improving it can cause higher intelligence, creativity, and

energy levels (Achor). Shawn Achor explains that the current process is this: “If I work harder,

I’ll be more successful. And if I’m more successful, then I’ll be happier,” but that it is broken,

and actually stops up from performing at our highest level (Achor). He goes on to say that we

can gain a “Happiness Advantage” by becoming more positive in the present, and that will in

turn make us more productive, creative, intelligent, and successful, not the other way around

(Achor). His study showed that one’s brain is 31 per cent more productive when thinking

positive, and that doctors are 19 per cent more accurate and fast when coming up with the correct
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diagnosis when positive (Achor). These shocking findings prove that positive thinking can make

all the difference, sometimes between life and death. The video further exemplified the theme of

positivity by letting the viewer understand how Achor felt, instead of just reading words on the

page. At the beginning of the video, Shawn Achor tells a story about when he and his sister were

children, and how looking at negative situation with a positive lens, such as his sister breaking

her arm but believing that a unicorn superpower was the reason she wasn’t hurt more, improved

the situation and let them keep playing (Achor). The sister’s brain was so involved in being

thrilled that she was a unicorn, in being happy and positive about it, that it didn’t register the

agony of a broken bone (Achor) - showing that positivity can help us feel better. When he’s

telling this story you can see in his body language and the way he uses emphasis and intonation

how the story made him feel. The message he was trying to convey was much clearer than if it

were unnarrated words, and was explained in more depth than a photo or visual.

“The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance” was selected

mainly to gain a deeper understanding of the personal experiences in which positive thinking

helped. Also, the title was intriguing so I had to learn more. I am glad I did watch it, because I

learned many interesting things about the practical applications of positive thinking. The TEDx

Talk clearly showed, with statistics and personal recounts how positivity can be life changing, on

both a small and large scale. The video reminded me of resilience. If looked at with a different

perspective, Achor’s sister’s response to breaking her arm could be seen as resilience. The steps

to building resilience are much like those for building positivity - steps like “building strong,

positive relationships with loved ones and friends” or “making everyday meaningful” (Mayo

Clinic “Resilience”). By making this connection, it shows how positivity can help to build skills

that can help in other parts of life.

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The final medium I chose to highlight the impacts of positivity was somewhat unusual: a

children’s book titled “Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids.”

It offered interesting food for thought as to the culture surrounding positivity and was selected to

look at how it is taught to children. The picture book, written by Carol McCloud and illustrated

by David Messing, presents the idea that everyone has an invisible bucket that holds “Good

thoughts and good feelings about yourself.” (McCloud). If your bucket is empty, you will feel

sad and lonely, but if your bucket is full of positive thoughts and feelings you will feel happy and

good (McCloud). Acts of kindness, smiling or sharing can fill both your bucket, and the other

person’s bucket too, but bullying, ignoring or being mean to people can lead to negative

sentiments (McCloud). The story, although fictional, presents a real life concept and shows the

impacts of positivity on people and their feelings. It demonstrates that we feel positive when we

help people, and negative when discourage or hurt someone. The impacts of positivity are

therefore quite clear, and synthesized to its most essential form. An interesting thing to think

about is that this book is geared towards children, showing that positivity is instilled in people at

a very young age. We are taught and shown that positivity feels good, but somehow many of

these once-young people are not positive. For lots of adults, they must rediscover the benefits of

positivity later in life. I found this book to be the most interesting way to uncover the impacts of

positivity because I learned not only about the way positivity can affect how we interact with

others, but also how positivity is a core value in our society, and that most of us have already

learned about it without even realizing it.

The book, however unusual or basic it may seem, simplifies the main ideas of every other

text presented in this essay. The great advantage of using a narrative, in this case a children’s

book, is that it appeals to everyone regardless of age, and can teach everyone, regardless of
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intellectual or literary ability. The pages, with only a few sentences and accompanying

illustrations brought down the complexity of the book and made the message accessible to

anyone. The vague examples given highlight that the individual reading it can come up with their

own conclusions about what positivity means to them. To me, book was a reminder of

elementary school when we would, as a school, work to raise money or food for the Shepherds

of Good Hope (a group much like the Salvation Army). At the end of the fundraising, we would

have a big assembly to celebrate and present the cheque, and everyone was so happy because of

all the buckets we had filled. I didn’t know it then, but this was an example of how we were all

taught the kind of positivity presented in the book.

The impacts of positivity are varied and important to how we live, or can better live our

everyday lives. In the article by the Mayo Clinic, it was proven the the simple act of positive

thinking can improve our everyday lifestyle. On the other hand, the cartoon by Ouzounian was a

cautionary tale about the the downside of blind positivity. The TEDx Talk by Shawn Achor

showed both personal and scientific impacts of positivity with graphs and anecdotes. Finally, the

children’s book by Carol McCloud offered a unique take on positivity and how it doesn’t need to

be complicated to be impactful (McCloud). Positivity is something that most of us are born with,

but can lose overtime. If we have it but then lose it, rediscovering it can take time and effort,

though it will without doubt improve your life. We must nurture the positive thinker within us all

to achieve the health and mindset benefits. It can be as small an act as ending the day with a

grateful thought, or as large as a complete overhaul of your outlook on life. It may be hard, but

the effort is worth it - I’m positive.

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Works Cited

Achor, Shawn. "The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance". 30 June

2011,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXy__kBVq1M&ab_channel=TEDxTalks. Accessed 21

November 2023.

AIA Group. “Why toxic positivity endangers mental health.” AIA, 23 April 2023,

https://www.aia.com/en/health-wellness/healthy-living/healthy-mind/Toxic-positivity-me

ntal-health. Accessed 21 November 2023.

Clinic, Mayo. “How to Build Resiliency.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education

and Research, 14 July 2022,

www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/resilience-training/in-depth/resilience/art-2004631

1. Accessed 27 November 2023

Clinic, Mayo. “How to Stop Negative Self-Talk.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical

Education and Research, 3 Feb. 2022,

www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-2

0043950#:~:text=The%20health%20benefits%20of%20positive%20thinking&text=Lowe

r%20rates%20of%20depression,psychological%20and%20physical%20well%2Dbeing.

Accessed 21 November 2023.

Marie, Simone. “'Toxic Positivity' is Real — And It's a Big Problem During the Pandemic.”

Healthline, 4 July 2023,

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/toxic-positivity-during-the-pandemic#

What-is-toxic-positivity? Accessed 21 November 2023.

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McCloud, Carol. Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids.

BUCKET FILLERS, 2015,

https://bethichhoc.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/have_you_filled_a_bucket_today.pdf

Accessed 21 November 2023.

Ouzounian. “Optimism.” Toonpool, 19 May 2011,

https://www.toonpool.com/cartoons/optimism_128892. Accessed 21 November 2023.