Why we need positive thinking- and its not just because it makes us feel good.

Think positive! It has always been told to us, the idea that a positive mindset will make us happier and while this is certainly true, it does more than that. Positive thoughts are, and always have been, key to the survival of our species. Positive emotions aren’t just something warm and comforting to make you feel better, they have a real and tangible use.

The happy caveman. ☀️

We understand why we have negative emotions, fear, stress etc. A caveman hunting a wild boar needs stress and fear to activate his fight or flight instincts, to pump him full of adrenaline, giving him energy, faster reaction times and focus his mind entirely on the hunt.

Therefore we can understand why we have negative emotions, think back to biology lessons- Darwin’s survival of the fittest, negative emotions were, and still are, key to our survival. From this logic it is hard to see how positive emotions serve the same purpose, sure they feel good, but how do they help us survive? Let’s go back to the cavemen:

The caveman has caught his boar, he takes it back to his family, they eat around the fire. The feeling of contentment settles over the cavemen, his family are safe and well-fed, he is relaxed and happy. In this state he looks around him and notices a rock rolling down the hill, he idly wonders what would happen if you placed a stick on top of the rock, it would fall off, but what if you attached it to the centre? A few thoughts later and the wheel is invented.

Clearly, this is a fictitious account of the invention of the wheel, but the theory behind it isn’t. Frederickson’s Broaden and Build theory, just like negative emotions, positive emotions have an evolutionary purpose. In moments of positive, we broaden our perspective and build new resources

Want proof?🔬

An experiment was done, there were two groups of people. Group 1 was shown material that evoked positive emotions, group 2 was given material evoking negative emotions. They were then shown pictures of objects and asked to say whether it was a mode of transport of not. Most were fairly simple, a plane is but a banana isn’t. They were then shown a camel, the ‘negative’ group were more likely to say it was an animal whereas the ‘positive’ group were more likely to see a mode of transport. The positive emotions meant their mind was more open to different possibilities and perspectives.

Why you get your best ideas in the shower. 🚿

Positive emotions don’t just exist to make us feel good, we have them because they help us. We are our most open and innovative when we are relaxed and content, stress may help us work through the night but if it’s quality, not quantity you’re after then stress isn’t your friend.

In reality, we need a balance of both, they both have their purpose. Its too easy, especially in the workplace, to rely on stress alone to get things done and to see wellbeing as a sort of aside, something that you know is good to do, but is ultimately secondary to the important things you have to get done.

What needs to be realised is the wellbeing isn’t something separate, it’s something that affects everything we do. Working on your wellbeing doesn’t just make you feel happier at work, it makes you better at work.

If positive emotions helped create the wheel, imagine what they can do for you! Subscribe to our Whatsapp mailing list for your daily dose of free wellbeing content 👉 https://www.livitay.community/

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