Elaine Tarantin O Brien, MAPP Power of Positivity & Enlightened Action: Activating Joy & Positive Connections Inner IDEA Session 215

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1 Elaine Tarantin O Brien, MAPP Power of Positivity & Enlightened Action: Activating Joy & Positive Connections Inner IDEA Session 215 What is Positive Psychology? Positive Psychology is the empirical study of what s right in the world. It is the science of optimism, happiness and well-being. With well being as a societal goal, studies have shown that we can increase our levels of happiness and wellbeing by embracing positivity, recognizing and harnessing our character strengths and virtues, having faith, building a strong social network and embracing the power of gratitude daily. Positivity and Positive Emotions are crucial in building physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual resources. The fleeting states of positive emotions impact the inner workings of our hearts and minds. Though negative emotions are a necessary part of our life, as in times of loss, having ample positivity allows us to flourish. Positivity is to our minds, what sunlight is to flower. Positive emotions like joy, contentment, and hope, expand our thinking and attention. This is the Broaden effect. In Positivity, Fredrickson reveals there is a Build effect through positive emotions that helps us shape personal and social resources and fuels learning; this creates greater life satisfaction. Positivity is a non-surgical open-heart operation that can transform us for the better. Fredrickson s Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotions has shown that authentic positively focused thoughts, words and actions can help us to live up to 10 years longer.

2 Dr. Barbara Fredrickson focus is on the strength of our positive emotions and how they affect our daily relationships. Regarding relationships, she stated that positivity allows us to think in we, not just me. She believes positivity, the most life giving gem is heart felt and looks at how we see other people. Positivity was found to transform relationships in a study by Algoe, Fredrickson, Gable, & Strachman, This study looks at very different ways couples express appreciation. High-quality expressions show that the partner really gets me, or there s a feeling you think about me during the day. Here, both partners feel appreciated. A low quality expression case study was of a woman who buys her husband a guitar. The husband thanks the wife, but the sentiment is around how cool the guitar is, and how nice it will be for him to play it. This lower quality interaction feels more flat because the focus is on the guitar and the experience of playing the guitar, and not the giver. Dr. Fredrickson shows that high quality expressions of gratitude renew the newness of a relationship, giving it a booster shot. Doing nice things, showing gratitude, thoughtfulness, and kindness to others is positively transformational. She said the Positivity Ratio research, determines whether we languish or flourish. Like plants turning toward the light, the heliotropic effects of positive emotions help us turn toward goodness, opening us and transforming us for the better. See Fredrickson & Losada (2005). American Psychologist, 60, To tip the scales toward Positivity: 1. Be open an in the present. 2. Savor the good in your life. 3. Be kind, authentic and curious 4. Cultivate your signature character strengths and use them in new ways daily Values in Action Virtues and Strengths (Peterson and Seligman, 2004) Wisdom and knowledge Justice - Creativity - Fairness - Curiosity - Leadership - Love of learning - Teamwork - Open mindedness - Perspective Temperance - Forgiveness Courage - Modesty - Authenticity - Prudence - Bravery - Self-control - Persistence - Zest Transcendence - Appreciation of beauty Humanity - Gratitude - Kindness - Hope - Love - Humor - Social Intelligence - Spirituality Positive Emotions Build:

3 -Intellectual resources Social resources Psychological resources Physical resources Elaine Tarantin O Brien, MAPP Temple University, Ph.D. Candidate Psych. of Human Movement, Teaching Fellow Elaine.OBrien@Temple.edu; mobile (001)

4 305 Positive Emotions Use this list to help expand your awareness of the positive emotions you feel in this life. This information is thanks to Christopher Westr: Able Absolved Abundant Accelerated Acceptable Accepted Accepting Accomplished Accountable Achieving Active Adaptable Adequate Admirable Admired Adored Affluent Agreeable Agreeable Alert Ambitious Amenable Amused Appreciated Approving Assertive Assured At ease Attached Attentive Attractive Authentic Awake Aware Awesome Balanced Beautiful Believing Blessed Blissful Bonded Brave Bright Brilliant Calm Capable Captivated Cared For Careful Caring Cautious Centered Certain Cheerful Cherished Clean Clear Collected Comfortable Comforted Committed Compassionate Complete Composed Comprehending Confident Congruent Connected Conscious Constant Content Cooperative Courageous Credible Daring Decisive Defended Delighted Dependable Desirable Dignified Discerning Disciplined Distinguished Dutiful Dynamic Eager Easy-going Ecstatic Edified Efficient Elated Elegant Elevated Emancipated Empowered Encouraged Energetic Energized Enthusiastic Euphoric Exceptional Excited Exhilarated Experienced Expressive Exuberant Faith Fantastic Favored Firm Flexible Flowing

5 Focused Forceful Forgiven Fortified Fortunate Free Friendly Fulfilled Gentle Genuine Gifted Glowing Good-natured Graceful Gracious Gratified Grounded Growing Guarded Happy Harmonious Healed Helpful Heroic High Honest Honorable Honored Hopeful Humble Humorous Important In control Included Independent Infatuated Influential Innocent Inspired Intelligent Interested Invigorated Invincible Invited Jovial Joyful Jubilant Judicious Kind Learning Liberated Light Lighthearted Loose Loved Loyal Lucky Magnetic Marvelous Masterful Mature Meek Merciful Methodical Mindful Modest Motivated Neat Noble Non-judgmental Observant Open Open Hearted Organized Outgoing Pacified Pampered Pardoned Passionate Patient Peaceful Perfect Persevering Pleasant Pleased Popular Positive Powerful 3 Praised Precious Prepared Present Productive Proficient Progressive Prosperous Protected Prudent Punctual Purified Purposeful Qualified Quick Radiant Rational Reasonable Reassured Receptive Recognized Redeemed Regenerated Relaxed Release Reliable Relief Relieved Remembered Replenished Resolute Respected Respectful Responsive Restored Revitalized Rewarded Rooted Satisfied

6 Secure Selfless Self Reliant Sensational Sensible Sensitive Serene Settled Sharing Simple Skillful Smooth Soothed Spirited Splendid Stable Steadfast Strengthened Strong Successful Supported Sustained Tactful Teachable Temperate Tenacious Tender Thankful Thoughtful Thrilled Tolerant Tranquil Triumphant Trust Trusting Unbiased Understanding Understood Undisturbed Unhurried Unique United Unselfish Upheld Valiant Valuable Valued Virile Vital Warm Wealthy Willing Wise Wonderful Worthwhile Worthy Yielding Zeal

7 Elaine Tarantin O Brien, MAPP Temple University, Ph.D. Candidate Psych. of Human Movement, Teaching Fellow Positively Elaine Elaine.OBrien@Temple.edu; mobile (001)