POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS

Human emotion is a feeling that is private and subjective. Humans can report an extraordinary range of states, which they can feel or experience. Some are accompanied by obvious signs of enjoyment or distress, but often these have no overt indicators. In many cases, the emotions noted seem to blend on different states.

Experiencing both positive and negative emotions is a natural part of being human. The word “negative” in the phrase “negative emotions” may imply that these emotions are unwanted, but this does not necessarily mean that those emotions are bad for us or that we should not have them.

Still, most people would rather choose

a positive emotion over a negative one. It is likely you would prefer to feel happy than to feel sad or be confident than be insecure. But always experiencing favorable emotions over less favorable ones is not what matters. It is still important to have balance in both.

Positive vs. Negative Emotions: A Look at the Differences

Given the impact of positive and negative emotions on our thoughts and behaviors, it is easy to see why helpful thinking keeps a close eye on negative emotions in addition to the positive.

As vital as it is for us to learn how to boost our positive emotions and take advantage of the opportunities they bring, it is just as vital to learn how to adapt from negative emotions and cope with them effectively.

When we accept, embrace, and act both our positive and our negative emotions, we give ourselves the best chance to live a balanced, meaningful life.

Therefore, the field of positive psychology is hesitant to focus too much on positive emotions alone— it is just as important to understand how to turn negative emotions into a positive experience as it is to capitalize on our positive emotions.

How Do They Affect the Brain?

Positive and negative emotions both have different impacts in the brain.

For example, positive emotions have been shown to impact the brain in the following ways:

How Do They Affect the Brain?

• They can increase our performance on a knowledgeable task by lifting our spirits without disrupting us like negative emotions do (Iordan & Dolcos, 2017).

• Positive emotions may help us increase our horizons and widen our brain’s scope of focus (Fredrickson, 2001).

How Do They Affect the Brain?

Meanwhile, negative emotions are known to affect the brain in the following ways:

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How Do They Affect the Brain?

• Facilitating emotional conflict processing, helping us to make sense of conflicting emotional information. In other words, negative emotions can help us figure hard emotional problems (Zinchenko et al., 2015).

How Do They Affect the Brain?

• Facilitating cognitive conflict processing, aiding us in comprehending dissimilar or conflicting cognitive information. In other words, negative emotions can also help us make sense when we receive confusing signals (Kanske & Kotz, 2010; 2011).

How Do They Affect the Brain?

• Reducing the experience of empathy, which can help protect us from getting too involved with others and stay focused on our goals (Qiao-Tasserit, Corradi-Dell’Acqua, & Vuilleumier, 2017)

How Do They Affect the Brain?

As Tracy Kennedy from Lifehack.org points out, there is a good reason for each of the basic emotions, both positive and negative:

emotions that we typically find pleasurable to experience. The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology defines them as “pleasant or desirable situational responses… distinct from pleasurable sensation and undifferentiated positive affect” (Cohn & Fredrickson, 2009).

POSITIVE EMOTIONS?

Basically, this definition is stating that positive emotions are pleasant responses to our environment (or our own internal dialogue) that are more complex and targeted than simple sensations.

POSITIVE EMOTIONS?

Some common positive emotions include:

• Love • Interest

• Joy • Amusement

• Satisfaction • Happiness

• Contentment • Serenity

• Awe

POSITIVE EMOTIONS?

are those that we typically do not find pleasurable to experience. Negative emotions can be defined as “as an unpleasant or unhappy emotion which is evoked in individuals to express a negative effect towards an event or person” (Pam, 2013).

What Are Negative Emotions?

Although they are not pleasant to experience, negative emotions really are necessary for a healthy life. This is true for two big reasons:

NEGATIVE EMOTIONS?

• Negative emotions give us a counterpoint to positive emotions; without the negative, would the positive emotions still feel as good?
• Negative emotions serve evolutionary purposes, encouraging us to act in ways that boost our chances of survival and help us grow and develop as people.

TWO BIG REASONS WHY NEGATIVE EMOTION IS NECESSARY FOR HEALTHY LIFE

A few of the most felt negative emotions are:

• Fear • Loneliness

• Anger • Melancholy

• Disgust • Annoyance

• Sadness

• Rage

NEGATIVE EMOTIONS?

Emotions play a big role in our life. They are twenty- four hours active and alive every day. It tells us what to do with our self, family, job, career, and how we love others. That is where we experience most differently the positive and the negative emotions.

If we are unable to control the course that our emotions run, we might as well be heading down the road towards destruction that is the reason why we need to manage and control our emotions.

It is a Greek word which refers to having a good spirit

EUDIAMONIA