It's starting to get darker earlier every day. Another factory just announced a month-long shutdown. The news is an endless stream of alarming details about the economy, health crises, global security and the environment. No doubt about it: for many of us, this is a really tough time in a really tough year.
It may seem like it's only logical to be blue and worried these days, but there is another option: positivity. Defined as a range of positive emotions (including love, appreciation, hope, resilience and gratitude), positivity can help you live a happy, productive and healthy life. "Trying times almost inevitably bring negativity," writes Barbara L. Frederickson, a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, in her new book, Positivity (Crown, 2009). "Unchecked, the narrowed mindsets of negativity can pull you in a downward spiral and drain the very life out of you."
Frederickson, who has devoted most of her life to studying positivity, says this mindset can loosen negativity's grip on your mental outlook and open your heart and mind to a broader range of possibilities. "As it does, it sets you on an upward spiral, a positive trajectory that cuts through dark times and leads you back to higher ground, stronger than ever."
In short, positivity is about your attitude and approach to life: looking for the good in the world around you, hanging on to hope when life gets tough, making a contribution to the world and feeling optimistic about the future. If you embrace positivity on a daily basis you won't be continually, blindly joyful – but you will be receptive to emotions and events that will make you happy.
Health benefits of being positive
The health benefits of positivity are remarkable. Studies point to a reduced risk of high blood pressure, depression, diabetes and cardiac disease. Positive thinkers also live longer and are better able to fight off infection, cope with pain and recover from major surgery and illnesses. What's more, they also may have a better quality of life when living with chronic conditions.
There are likely a number of elements at work when it comes to explaining why a sunny outlook equals better health. For instance, positive thinkers sometimes make better health choices. A Finnish study found that optimists ate more fruits, vegetables and low-fat cheese than pessimists, and that pessimists were more likely to eat low-fibre food, drink alcohol, smoke and have a higher body mass index. Other studies have taken factors such as smoking, age, gender, ethnicity and waist-to-hip ratio into account and optimists still come out on top, healthwise. One such study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, reveals that optimists have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol (high levels of cortisol can wreak havoc on your immune, digestive and cardiovascular systems) and lower levels of two markers of blood inflammation associated with a higher risk of heart attack and stroke.
Page 1 of 4 -- Think the glass is half-empty? Learn how you can be optimistic on page 2.
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