Increasing happiness (Part 5)

Increasing happiness (Part 5)

In recent weeks, we have looked at the idea of increasing happiness from several different angles, e.g., cultivating gratitude, using signature strengths, and actively trying to boost your own mood. There are many other possible avenues through which we can explore this topic, and, in this post, we will look at positive emotions.

We would all most likely agree that positive emotions are a good thing and, no doubt, we would like to experience more of them, but just how beneficial are they and can we look to measure those benefits? Psychology has attempted to tackle such questions at the level of theory and, also, in field research.

Barbara Fredrickson is perhaps best known for the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Initially developed in the late 1990s and refined since then, the theory proposes that experiences of positivity accumulate over time and contribute to a broadening of individual awareness and build resources for survival and thriving.

Writing in American Psychologist in 2001, Fredrickson stated, “The broaden-and-build theory posits that experiences of positive emotions broaden people’s momentary thought-action repertoires, which in turn serves to build their enduring personal resources, ranging from physical and intellectual resources to social and psychological resources.”

In more straightforward terms, Frederickson claims that the experience of positive emotions can be highly beneficial, and not just in the moment. Instead, she posits that these benefits can be long-lasting and are associated with positive personal well-being trajectories into the future.

At the heart of the theory is the idea that the experience of positive emotions – arising from the process of broadening – is linked to improved individual performance, problem-solving, coping, and resilience, and correlates with higher self-reported levels of well-being. The theory also highlights what is termed as an ‘undoing effect’, whereby the experience of positive emotions can help to undo the detrimental consequences of experiencing negative emotions.

Fredrickson singles out emotions such as joy, interest, contentment, pride, and love. She states that while they are distinct, they share the ability to broaden thought-action repertoires and contribute to building personal resources, along the lines described in the quotation above.

The experience of joy, she states, broadens in that it creates the urge to play, and arising from that encourages individuals to push their limits and, also, to be creative. She highlights how research tells us that this pattern plays out in social and physical behaviour, as well as in intellectual and artistic behaviour.

Interest is said to broaden by urging us to explore, to seek out new information and experiences, and, in so doing, to expand ourselves.

The broadening effects of contentment can be seen in our desire to savour a given set of life circumstances, and what flows from that – the desire to integrate those circumstances into how the individual perceives of themselves and the world in which they live.

Fredrickson characterises pride as a positive emotion that follows from personal achievement. The broadening that she proposes here relates to the urge this creates to share news of whatever achievement it may be with friends and loved ones, and from envisioning how you might build on those achievements in the future.

Love is characterised here as an amalgam of many other distinct positive emotions – such as joy, interest, and contentment – and comes to be felt in the context of close relationships in which we feel safe and secure. The broadening proposed for this emotion works by creating “recurring cycles of urges to play with, explore, and savor experiences with loved ones”.

The logic that follows from this, then, is the recognition that experiencing more of these positive emotions will facilitate the broadening process, which is said to be a precursor to the building of personal resources.

Fredrickson claims that the building that follows the broadening creates reserves that we can draw on in the future to cope with challenges, adversity, and threats.

Making the case for the link between broadening and building in that 2001 article, Fredrickson singles out joy as an example. She states that play is an urge associated with joy, and then points to research findings emphasising the positive outcomes associated with the play tendency, and not just among humans. She highlights animal research that has found that the kind of chasing play observed among juveniles is only seen among adults when seeking to avoid predators, suggesting that the broadening associated with play builds survival resources.

Fredrickson also proposes the building of social resources associated with play. “Social play, with its shared amusement, excitement, and smiles, builds lasting social bonds and attachments, which can become the locus of subsequent social support.”

She then makes the case for childhood play being linked to the building of intellectual resources. She supports this contention by highlighting research findings to the effect that childhood play increases creativity, while also fuelling brain development.

The net point here being that Fredrickson maintains that the experience of positive emotions is good for you, and the more that you feel, the more they can do for you. Like any psychological theory, broaden-and-build is open to refinement and improvement, but, in the short term, it seems like seeking to experience more positive emotion in your life is a sound strategy. That much, at least, is not likely to be undermined by fresh insights in the future.

Dr. Mark Barry

Mark Barry was awarded a PhD by University College Cork in 2015 for his research into adolescent well-being. He has lectured psychology at UCC since 2013, and is also a freelance writer.