POSITIVE EMOTIONS AND HAPPINESS

WHY ENGAGING WITH OUR STRENGTHS

AND TALENTS IS IMPORTANT

• Rise in mental health problems.

• The impact of advertising on students’ perceptions of themselves and their expectations.
• The growing fear in society as a result of the rise of the threat of terrorism, the recession and
increase in unemployment, increase in crime levels and rioting.

• Family/community breakdown, increase of divorce, social isolation.

• Increased expectations and pressures on young people.
• Systemic Changes in established organizations
• Changes in Role expectations, Responsibilities, Deliverables, etc.,
• Socio-Economic-Political-Administrative and Bureaucratic Changes
 CHARACTER STRENGTHS AND TALENTS

According to positive psychologists, strengths and talents are both essential for human flourishing.
There are, however, important differences between them:

• Strengths are moral traits, talents are non-moral.

• Talents are largely innate, character strengths are more ‘voluntary’ – we can choose to develop
them.

• Strengths cannot be squandered; however, we can choose not to use a talent.

Character strengths are more ‘buildable’ than talents: with practice, persistence, good teaching and
dedication they can take root and flourish. Strengths can be acquired by almost any individual as long
as there is time, effort and commitment.
 WHAT IS POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY?

Positive psychology is an umbrella term for the study of positive emotions and positive character traits. It is concerned
with what makes people flourish, that is, become happier, more connected to others and engaged in purposeful,
meaningful activity.

It was launched as a new discipline in 1998 by Martin Seligman, the then president of the American Psychological
Association.

Research findings from positive psychology are not meant to replace traditional psychology and what is known about
human suffering, weakness and disorder. The aim is to have a complete and balanced understanding of the human
experience.
 WHAT YOU CAN DO TO GET WELL-BEING

The task of positive psychology is to describe not prescribe what people can do to get well-being. The
findings can be neatly summarised as:

• Increasing positive emotions.

• Reducing the impact of negative emotions.
• Changing the subject: thinking about others rather than ourselves and engaging in purposeful activity.
• Finding meaning in one’s life.
 INCREASE POSITIVE EMOTIONS

The ‘Broaden-and-Build’ theory of positive emotions developed by Barbara Fredrickson1 shows that positive
emotions are ‘resource builders’ and have a long-lasting effect on our personal growth and development.

Positive emotions have the capacity to broaden and build our psychological and social resources, promote
our physical health, connect us to others and build our intellectual and psychological reserves.

They increase our capacity to be outward looking and pay attention and notice what is happening around us,
and increase our working memory, verbal fluency and openness to information.
 THE SPARKLE OF GOOD FEELINGS

‘Positivity’ triggers the sparkle of good feelings that awakens an individual’s inspiration and motivation
to change.

Positivity refers to the whole range of positive emotions to include joy, gratitude, serenity, interest,
hope, pride, amusement, awe, inspiration and love.

Building a robust Losada ratio (i.e. having more positive thoughts than negative thoughts) and having
positive emotions more frequently than negative emotions builds psychological and social capital.
 POSITIVE EMOTION
The Broaden and Build Hypothesis
Positive emotion perceptual and cognitive expansion

Frederickson (1998)
“ positive emotions build personal resources by fostering creative thinking,
the readiness to take advantage of opportunities, the strengthening of social
bonds, and the undoing of negative emotions.”
Harker et al., 2001
 DIMENSION OF EMOTION
Positive affect
 Cheerfulness , joy , contentment, and happiness

Negative affect
 Anger, fear , sadness , guilt , contempt , and disgust
FUNCTIONALIST THEORY
Emotion is the person’s attempt or readiness to establish, maintain,
or change the relation between the person and the environment
on matters of significance to that person (Saarni et al., 1998).
 Emotion is associated with goal-attainment, social relationships, situational
appraisals, action tendencies, self-understanding, self regulation, etc.
 FUNCTIONALIST
VIEWS
Emotions come in families defined by these goals
 not by facial expression, or brain activity
 Messinger’s research is based on families of expressions and emotions

Functional research focus

 socialization of emotional experience
 acquisition of emotional competence (Saarni),
 secondary emotions such as pride.
 FOUR OUTCOMES OF
POSITIVE EMOTIONS
1) Positive emotions broaden our thought-action repertoires:
 Negative emotions- narrow our thoughts
 Positive emotions - widen our thoughts

2) Positive emotions undo negative emotions:

It seem to produce opposite effects.

3) Positive emotions enhance resilience:

It will offset the effect of negative emotions.

4)Positive emotions build enduring resources and improve well-being:

 POSITIVE EMOTIONS AND
HEALTH RESOURCES
Both positive and negative emotions have the potentials to set a
verity of physical , psychological , and social changes that can
either compromise or enhance our health.
PHYSICAL RESOURCE:
Four resources which effect our health are
Brain
Nervous system as a whole
The endocrine system
Immune system
PSYCHOLOGICAL
RESOURCE:
Positive emotions and coping with stress: need of strength and
effectiveness of our intellectual, behavioural and emotional efforts
problem-focused coping:
Emotion-focused coping
Proactive coping
SOCIAL RESOURCE:
People who engaged in a close network and supportive relationship
enjoy better health and more personal happiness than those who
lack such networks.
Less sick and Live longer
Lack of social ties, loss of significant relationship Loneliness,
depression, personal distress & unhappiness
LIMITATIONS OF POSITIVE
EMOTIONS
Providing no guarantee for long and happy life
Traumatic experiences like death and spouse can overwhelm our
coping resources
POSITIVE EMOTIONS AND
WELL-BEING
Positive emotions contribute to more flexible, creative and resilient
responses in the face of challenge
Happy people are more tolerant and less prejudicial, more
compassionate, more focused on others, more helpful and more
enjoyable with others
POSITIVE EMOTIONS AND
SUCCESS
Happy people are greatly found to enjoy greater success in
marriage life , friendship, income , work and mental and physical
health.
POSITIVE EMOTIONS AND
FLOURISHING
It is the state of optimal human functioning.
It is the complete mental health.
 CULTIVATING POSITIVE
EMOTIONS
mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully
immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in
the process of the activity.
Act happy
Seek work and leisure that engages your skills
Take control of your time
Daily exercise
Sleep well
Establish close relationship
Focus beyond the self
Spiritual activity
Reading a book
Going for a party
Fixing a good meal with family
Painting
Photography
Listening to music…
 KNOWING AND FOLLOWING ONE’S CHARACTER
STRENGTHS

Knowing and following one’s character strengths:

• encourages insight and perspective in one’s life

• generates optimism
• provides a sense of direction
• helps to develop optimism
• generates a sense of vitality
• brings a sense of fulfilment
• helps achieve one’s goals.1
 THANK YOU FOR YOU KIND
PATIENCE
Queries?