Difference between revisions of "Build a Positive Attitude"

#Recognize the link between positive emotions and physical health. Research suggests that stress and other negative emotions can contribute to health issues such as coronary heart disease.<ref name="rf1">Blascovich, J. J., & Katkin, E. S. (1993). Cardiovascular reactivity to psychological stress & disease. American Psychological Association.</ref><ref name="rf2">Fredrickson, B. L., Maynard, K. E., Helms, M. J., Haney, T. L., Siegler, I. C., & Barefoot, J. C. (2000). Hostility predicts magnitude and duration of blood pressure response to anger. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 23(3), 229-243.</ref> Replacing negative emotions with positive ones can improve your overall well-being.

#*Positive emotions can also slow progression toward disease. This happens because positive emotions shorten the duration of negative emotional arousal.<ref name="rf3">Fredrickson, B.L., & Levenson, R. W. (1998). Positive emotions speed recovery from the cardiovascular sequelae of negative emotions. Cognition & Emotion, 12(2), 191-220.</ref>  

#Link positivity, creativity and attention. In addition to physical benefits, a positive attitude produces a “broad, flexible cognitive organization and ability to integrate diverse material.” <ref name="rf4">Isen, A. M. (1990). The influence of positive and negative effect on cognitive organization: Some implications for development. Psychological and biological approaches to emotion, p. 89.</ref> These effects are linked to increases in neural dopamine levels,<ref name="rf5">Ashby, F.G., Isen, A.M. & Turken, A.U. (1999). A neuropsychological theory of positive affect and its influence on cognition. Psychological Review, 106, 529–550.</ref> which improve your attention, creativity, and ability to learn. Positive emotions also improve a person’s ability to cope with difficult situations.<ref name="rf6">Aspinwall, L. G. (1998). Rethinking the role of positive affect in self-regulation.Motivation and Emotion, 22(1), 1-32.</ref><ref name="rf7">Aspinwall, L. G. (2004). Dealing with Adversity: Self-regulation, Coping, Adaptation, and Health.</ref><ref name="rf8">Isen, A. M. (1990). The influence of positive and negative effect on cognitive organization: Some implications for development. Psychological and biological approaches to emotion, 75-94.</ref>

#*People who experience positive emotions during bereavement tend to develop healthy long-term plans. Having goals and plans may result in an overall better sense of well-being about a year after bereavement.<ref name="rf9">Stein, N., Folkman, S., Trabasso, T., & Richards, T. A. (1997). Appraisal and goal processes as predictors of psychological well-being in bereaved caregivers. Journal of personality and social psychology, 72(4), 872.</ref>  

#*In an experiment on emotional resilience and stress responses, participants were given a stressful task to complete. The results showed that all participants were anxious about the task, regardless of how naturally resilient they were. But the more resilient participants returned to a calmer state more quickly than the participants who were not as resilient.<ref name="rf10">Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology: The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions. The American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226.</ref>  

#Write in a journal. Studies show that self-reflection can be an effective learning and teaching tool in school and work settings.<ref name="rf11">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1636988/pdf/ajpe84.pdf</ref><ref name="rf12">http://intercom.stc.org/2014/01/understanding-yourself-and-increasing-your-professional-value-through-self-reflection/</ref> Self-reflection can be used to help develop a positive attitude as well. Writing down your feelings and thoughts can help you recognize your behaviors and responses.

#Draw on your “happiness reserves.”  Enhanced coping skills lead to increased positive emotions over time.<ref name="rf13">Fredrickson, B. L., & Joiner, T. (2002). Positive emotions trigger upward spirals toward emotional well-being. Psychological science, 13(2), 172-175.</ref> The benefits you receive from experiencing positive emotions are durable. They last far longer than the amount of time you experience happiness. You can draw on these “happiness reserves” at later moments and different emotional states.

#Tame your inner critic. Your “inner critic” can hurt your progress in building a positive attitude.<ref name="rf14">http://www.psychologicalselfhelp.org/Chapter14.pdf</ref>

#Worry less about others. You are not like other people, so there’s little reason to judge yourself based on other people’s standards. You may enjoy things that other people don’t enjoy. You are certainly “allowed” to define for yourself what success means for your life.<ref name="rf14" />

#*Research demonstrates that your mood can immediately improve after having a conversation with someone you care about and you receive a supportive response from them. <ref name="rf15">Collins, N.L., & Ford, M. (2010). Responding to the needs of others: The interplay of the attachment and caregiving systems in adult intimate relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27(2), 235-244.</ref>

#Put a positive spin on a stressful circumstance. Positively reappraising a stressful circumstance means taking that situation and putting a new spin on it.<ref name="rf16">Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2000). Positive affect and the other side of coping. American psychologist, 55(6), 647.</ref>

#Find positive meaning in ordinary events. Another way people experience positive emotions in the face of adversity is by finding positive meaning in ordinary events and within the adversity itself.<ref name="rf17"> Affleck, G., & Tennen, H. (1996). Construing benefits from adversity: Adaptational significance and dispositional underpinnings. Journal of personality, 64(4), 899-922.</ref><ref name="rf16" />