The 9 Positive Emotions That Will Help You Be Happier
Why are positive and negative emotions important? What are examples of positive emotions? Discover the power of positive feelings and how to encourage them.
Most of us love to feel good, which is why many people seek to promote their positive emotions above those negative feelings. Having an emotional life more inclined towards joy, hope and inspiration is vital so that people can enjoy a happier and healthier life.
Even though we all experience negative and positive emotions, there is actually a way to tip the balance towards positive feelings and reap all the benefits that this entails. But how can we have more positive feelings?
The positive emotions They are the emotions that give us pleasure when experiencing them. According to the Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology, these are pleasant or desirable situational responses. Therefore, according to this definition of positive emotions, it points to the idea that these occur as a pleasant response to the perception of our environment (or our own internal dialogue).
List of positive emotions
Despite the perception that differentiates positive and negative emotions It is very subjective, there is a list of emotions that we all perceive as positive. Among the most common, the following stand out.
Happiness: One of the positive emotions best known is joy. People experience joy when we are surprised or delighted with something good or unexpected. Thanks to these positive feelings, people embrace the experience so much that we focus on savoring the present moment.
Gratitude: Gratitude is what comes to us when we recognize the effort that someone has made to benefit us. Through these positive emotions People feel more connected to others.
Pride: When people achieve a goal or feel useful to others, we usually experience pride. These positive feelings They allow people to motivate themselves to achieve our goals.
Serenity: When we find ourselves in circumstances that seem appropriate and easy to us, people experience serenity. In this way thanks to these positive moods People can better savor the present as well as reevaluate our priorities and values.
Interest: Curiosity about the outside world is also part of the examples of positive emotions In this way, people can experience it when we find something new and want to explore it.
Fun: Laughing or a sense of humor can be the sources that allow us to experience fun. Through these positive emotions People can connect more with others.
Hope: Hope is the positive emotion What we feel when people think about a better future. Thanks to her we can overcome difficult moments.
Inspiration: When we see another person perform and work towards their best version, we are inspired to strive to do our best.
Love: This is one of the most frequently experienced positive emotions. This type of positive feelings It happens when we feel very connected to people we care about. Thanks to love, people want to know more about others and focus on their well-being.
People prefer to experiment positive emotions before the negative ones. The reason for this is that the positive feelings they produce in us help us be more productive, grow and prosper in the various areas of our lives.
But why do we require the negative feelings? The reality is that although these emotions are not pleasant to experience, they are necessary to provide a counterpoint to positive emotions. That is, without negative emotions we would not be able to perceive ‘the excitement of things’ that happen in our lives.
Furthermore the two emotions They serve certain evolutionary purposes, encouraging people to act in ways that increase our chances of survival, as well as helping us develop as people.
Positive emotions and eustress
Although stress is normally perceived as a symptom of experiencing any of the examples of negative emotions the reality is that there is stress that is related to the list of positive emotions.
Eustress is a type of stress that is beneficial for our mental and physical health. Furthermore, it generates positive feelings that make us feel better about ourselves.
How do the two emotions impact the brain?
The positive and negative emotions They have a very important role in the functioning of our brain. But, obviously, they have their differences.
positive emotions
They increase the performance of our tasks and allow us to concentrate better without being distracted by other stimuli. Therefore, they improve our cognitive skills
They trigger reward pathways in our brain, contributing to lower levels of stress hormones, leading to greater emotional well-being and better more positive moods
Thanks to positive feelings We can broaden our horizons since they improve the performance of our cognitive faculties and this implies broadening the focus of our brain.
Are emotions They allow us to process our emotional conflicts more effectively, that is, they help us solve the problems we face.
They facilitate the cognitive processing of conflicts, helping us understand that information that is conflictive for us.
It protects us from becoming too involved with others, something that allows us to stay focused on our own goals.
Even though the two emotions are important for our lives, the reality is that when there is a mismatch between positive and negative emotions and the balance goes more towards the latter, problems can arise that affect our mental health. In these cases, it is important to consult with a psychology professional.
How to encourage positive emotions?
To tip the balance towards a more positive emotional life psychologists recommend trying to work on the following.
Gratitude: Gratitude, that is, knowing how to be grateful for what we are and have, is essential for your list of positive emotions is increased. In this way, you can try to dedicate a moment of your day to think about what you have achieved and have thanks to your efforts.
Loving Kindness Meditation: This meditation helps people generate more positive feelings in their life. This exercise consists of focusing on increasing our feelings of kindness, compassion and empathy towards others. To do this we must encourage forgiveness, connection with others and with ourselves, and self-acceptance.
Improve our resilience: Resilience is the ability to overcome circumstances that we consider negative in our lives in an effective way. Being able to overcome adversity is a skill that will allow us to have more positive emotions in our daily lives.
Dedicate time to yourself: In order to promote happiness and positive feelings In our lives it is vital that people give ourselves a few moments daily to be with ourselves. This involves being with us in a full and conscious way.
Have positive connections: By having a good social circle, people can increase the ability to feel more positive emotions
Experiment more positive emotions It means having a fuller and healthier life. This is why most people seek to increase positive emotions instead of negative ones. Having more positive feelings is possible if we work within ourselves with the help of a professional psychologist. Happiness requires constant work on us.
