The Positive emotions Are psychophysiological reactions, a reaction of both our body As of our mind , Which appear in a moment determined.
Many times when we speak of emotions we do not know exactly what we are referring to and we often use it as synonyms of exaltation, alteration or commotion.
But emotions are not only negative feelings or excitement, human beings also have positive emotions, and these are very important to our well-being and our health.
However, it seems that in our society positive emotions do not have much importance, and despite their enormous value, they do not do much case.
I think that knowing what the positive emotions humans have and knowing how to manage and increase them correctly should be a Basic knowledge for everyone.
You may also like This list with 270 emotions .
Characteristics of positive emotions
They usually appear when we perceive some stimulus that due to its qualities or characteristics produces a certain reaction.
For example, if you walk alone down a dark and deserted street, and suddenly you hear a strange noise, you may expect to experience an emotion at that moment Of fear or alertness.
Similarly, if you are sitting on the couch and suddenly your son is very happy, telling you that he has made an outstanding in the examination that made the Last week, you will surely experience an emotion of joy.
The first case would be a clear example of negative emotion and the second of positive emotion.
Although negative emotions often fulfill an adaptive function and it is necessary to experience them in certain occasions (if in the previous example The noise is caused by someone who wants to attack you, it will be preferable to respond with fear or alert), positive emotions are vital for Our well-being.
Put another way: if you never experience positive emotions, you will never be happy, happy or satisfied, you will never have fun, and you will not have wellness psychological .
However, positive emotions have an advantage over negative ones, and this is that you can perform actions to make them appear more and Benefit you more from them.
As we have said, negative emotions fulfill an adaptive function, so sometimes they need to appear, but the management you can do They are limited to trying to appear only when necessary.
For example: with fear, all you can do is try to appear only when it is necessary to experience it, that is, when there is a threat real.
If you do, you will have succeeded in Proper management of fear And therefore you will prevent this emotion from damaging your well-being.
However, with positive emotions the thing changes, because if you manage to manage them properly you will not only get hurt, but You can benefit from them to have greater well-being.
The more positive emotions you experience during the day, the better you will feel.
This does not mean that you have to be experiencing positive emotions all day like crazy, since as we have said negative emotions Are also necessary.
Likewise, to be experiencing emotions all day would not be good, as moments of calm and absence of emotions are also necessary.
However, you will surely agree with me if I say that positive emotions are often very expensive, and experiencing them on a regular basis is not a Simple task.
In addition, as noted Frederickson At the turn of the century, positive emotions not only serve to improve our psychological well-being and increase happiness.
Positive emotions also optimize health, prevent illness and Reduce anxiety.
Likewise, they favor efficient, flexible and creative , Expand the repertoire of thoughts and actions of the person, and reinforce their Physical, intellectual and social resources.
It is for all that, that it is very important to know what are the positive emotions that human beings have and to know what we can do to increase Their appearance.
The 10 most important positive emotions and how to increase them
1. Mood
Humor refers to the ability to experience or stimulate laughter.
However, this emotion does not stay there, since what makes it especially important is that it allows Interpret positively The situations that Can be threatening.
In addition, several researches have shown that laughter is directly related to considerable benefits in the muscular systems and Cardiovascular, so that experiencing this emotion favors our health.
Thus, humor is an important positive emotion that is essential for us to expose ourselves frequently.
To manage it properly is not"we take everything with humor"as its name may suggest, but it is important to do two Important actions:
1. Interpret in detail if those situations that put you in a bad mood are always justified, ie if they are situations that constitute a Real threat. If they are not, it is preferable that you try to experience a positive emotion.
2. Frequently expose yourself to stimuli that provoke humor directly: watch a movie or TV series fun, stay with that friend With which you always end up laughing, pay attention to funny jokes or anecdotes, etc.
2. Joy
Joy is a universally known emotion that is characterized by experiencing a grateful and lively feeling.
It directly generates a feeling of general well-being, and also prevents us from their opposite emotion, the sadness .
Joy is experienced through pleasant experiences, and it is certain that if we do not currently possess this type of experience it is difficult Appears.
However, if you have not experienced the feeling of joy in a long time, you can do it today.
Lie down in bed, relax, close your eyes and try to remember in detail the last situation that made you experience the feeling of joy.
Simply with the imagination of a pleasant and happy experience, you will get to appreciate this emotion.
Sometimes the routine, the job or stress Makes us not have too many stimuli that give us joy but that is no excuse not to expose yourself to She closes her eyes and remembers what it was like.
3. Interest
Few people interpret interest as an emotion but in fact it is. Interest is that emotion that allows you to focus all your attention In some concrete thing.
And being interested in things is one of the basic needs of our brains.
The moment you get interested in something, Increase your motivation , Your desire to stay active and desire to discover new things.
So, do not allow yourself the luxury of not being interested in anything, if you do, you will be much more vulnerable to Negative emotions Your life will be more boring And you will have fewer sources of gratification.
Each person has different interests and tastes, so no one can recommend anyone to take interest in any particular concept.
However, you must keep in mind that the more interest you have and the more enjoyment of them, the greater your gratification and more positive emotions will you have.
Still do not know what your interests are? Get them today!
4. Fluency
The flow (flow) is that emotion that is experienced when we are totally immersed in the activity that we are realizing.
At that moment, all our attention, all our thoughts and all our emotions are centered in the activity, to the point of losing the notion of time.
This sensation of fullness and optimum functioning can be experienced in a great number of activities: when practicing some sport, when singing, To dance, to paint...
The truth is that there is no secret formula to access this state, but surely if you have experienced it you will know very well what it is.
The most effective way to achieve it is to perform that activity that you are most passionate about.
So, expose as many times as you can to the activity that allows you to achieve this emotion.
5. Fun
The fun would constitute that emotion that is similar to fluency but is experienced with less intensity.
The disadvantage is clear, with an activity you can have fun but not experience fluency, so the emotion you feel will not be so pleasurable.
However, there is one advantage: you can have fun with a wider range of activities.
And it is that fluency is achieved with very specific activities, and most people usually experience it only in one activity (or none) So exposure to this emotion is often poor.
However, the fun can be experienced in many activities.
What things amuses you? Expose them whenever you can, never miss an opportunity to have fun.
6. Pride
Pride is that emotion that comes when we are happy or satisfied with who we are, we do or we get.
It is an important emotion because it allows us to climb the self-esteem , Relying more on ourselves and being less vulnerable to negative emotions such as the guilt Or envy.
To increase this emotion the exercise is simple: check everything you are, everything you have and everything you do, and ask yourself why you should not Be proud of it?
Sometimes we think that only extraordinary or very successful people can feel proud of themselves but this is not so, we all have something of what we We can feel proud.
7. Elevation
Lifting is that emotion we experience when we feel satisfied that we have done a good deed.
The best exercise to experience this emotion is to help someone who needs support, and thus to make you happy.
Lifting is a very important emotion because it is accompanied by a strong feeling of affection,"makes us feel,"and makes us at peace with us Themselves.
Start practicing good deeds and you will see how rewarding this emotion is.
8. Resilience
Resilience Is possibly the most difficult positive emotion to experience. It is experienced when we are able to face adversities, overcome them and get something positive from them.
So, it is an emotion of enormous value, because it allows us to turn negative emotions into positive ones.
Unlike the rest of the emotions, this is not one to which we must expose ourselves frequently, since to appear it is necessary to be immersed in a Negative and stressful situation.
However, it is vital that when you are in one of those situations do not forget that as all humans have this capacity.
Never forget that however hard the situation you are in, if you strive to follow your path, there will come a time when you will recover And transform the negative event into something positive for you.
9. Tranquility
Many people think that tranquility is an antonym of emotion, but this is not so.
That feeling of serenity when things go well, experiencing a state of peace and tranquility, is a basic emotion for the human being, with enormous Physical and psychological benefits.
Try to spend a few minutes each day sitting in your armchair and worry about everything in your head, spend a moment to feel the calm in your inside.
10. Wellness
Finally, welfare is a state of personal satisfaction that is achieved by considering as positive the areas that make up the life of a Person: personal, social, family and work.
In fact, well-being could be considered the"sine qua non"condition of happiness.
When we experience this emotion we become More creative , We are more proud of our way of being and we work with greater motivation.
It is true that in order to experience this situation we must consider the areas of our life as positive, but obviously the interpretation What we do on these aspects will be subjective, it will depend on us.
Can the areas of your life be interpreted as positive? Why not? What prevents you from experiencing well-being?
Ask yourself these questions and you probably have no reason not to feel that your life is satisfying.
What other positive emotions would you include in the list or what actions did I not mention would you do to increase them? Share it with us Many thanks!
References
- APA Division 38 (Health Psychology): http://www.health-psych.org/.
- Barragán, A. R., Morales, C. I. (2014). Psychology of the positive emotions: generalities and benefits. Teaching and Research in Psychology. VOL. 19, NUM. 1: 103-118.
- European Health Psychology Society: http://www.ehps.net/.
- Fernández-Abascal, E.G. (Ed.) (2009). Positive Emotions. Madrid: Pyramid.
- Fernández-Abascal, E.G. I Palmero, F. (Eds.) (1999). Emotions and Health. Ariel.
- OGDEN, J. (2007). Essential readings in health psychology. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press.