Positivity Gets a Bum Rap
Dancing Elephants Book Project — Positivity, Group 1
Positive people tend to get belittled and demeaned by our culture. They are called “Pollyanna” or “Little Mary Sunshine”, as if the only proper place for a sunny outlook is in the pages of a book. Real people, in the real world, should have a pessimistic or negative attitude, and call it “being realistic”.
That’s defeatist, not realistic!
The truth is that a positive attitude, coupled with positive actions, creates a happier, healthier environment. And it’s not just my opinion. There’s an entire branch of psychology, called Positive Psychology, dedicated to helping ordinary people experience more joy, love, and inspiration.
Positivity leads to productivity and success
Back in the 1960s and 70s, psychologist Martin Seligman made an interesting discovery. Animals (and people) could develop something called “learned helplessness”, which was a view of the world that implied lack of agency. There was nothing they could do to change things, so they just had to make the best of it and find a way to endure.
In humans, this leads to apathy, resignation, and depression. If your actions can’t make a difference, why should you even try?
