It appears that excessive positivity is bad for one’s health and mental well-being. It is beneficial to have a positive mindset, but the idea that we should always look on the bright side has gone too far. People struggling with low self-esteem are being asked these days to repeat self-affirmations such as, “I am a lovable person,” which could boost a person’s moods and feelings of worth. Psychologists studying self-affirmation found that as the participants feeling low did not believe in what they were saying, they ended up feeling worse. It has been termed “toxic positivity.” It is “the idea that a forced optimistic interpretation of our experiences alongside the suppression of the negative emotions can do real damage.”
What may be regarded as toxic positivity? In Western societies people have developed strategies to avoid negative emotions because of longstanding rules about how one should display one’s emotions. Later there was a positive psychology movement which shifted focus towards the things people needed to flourish, but was criticized for assuming that certain emotions are inherently good for us and others inherently bad, and for overlooking the role played by negative emotions in our overall psychological well-being. Then there were those who asked to “focus on the good things,” and preached the pseudo-scientific idea that one could “manifest” material comfort and health through thought alone, which is known as the “law of attraction.”
There is no denying that an optimistic outlook on life does have benefits. “The state of your mind undoubtedly affects the state of your body, and vice versa.” However, it is becoming more apparent that positivity has its limitations. Research and studies demonstrate that “ignoring negative emotions can be harmful to our mental wellbeing.” Brock Bastian at the University of Melbourne in Australia, says that “with an overemphasis on positivity, we are more likely to perceive normal emotions, such as sadness and anxiety, as signs of a mental health condition needing treatment.”
Ultimately, various studies and research show that the so-called negative emotions are an inevitable part of the human experience and are unavoidable. Resilience and growth are attained when we fight through difficult situations. However, we should not throw out positivity altogether. The right amount of it in the right place and at the right time can work wonders, writes Conor Feehly. (New Scientist, June 8, 2024)
When a person denies the actual reality but affirms something which they wish to achieve or experience, such positivity is not desirable. For instance, the mind cure practices are based on affirmations and denials. The person suffering from a disease is made to repeat statements like, “There is no sickness. I deny that there ever was any sickness.” Also, “There is no evil, but that all is good,” etc. In these assertions one is denying the reality of the pairs of opposites in the world. The seeds of disease are located in the mind, and they are carried to the physical plane through the astral currents. But the moment the person indulges in these affirmations and denials, these vibrations are thrown up and they carry the cause or the seed of disease back to the mind. As a result, there is a temporary cure, but the disease will return either in the same or some other life.
However, there is another kind of positivity, which is at the level of beliefs mentioned by Noell Nelson, a clinical psychologist. “Winners’ beliefs imply a future full of positive possibilities and support their ability to go into the unknown with confidence and hope.... No matter how grim your present seems, be willing to accept the belief that the future holds positive possibilities. The wonderful thing about possibilities is that they can be turned into probabilities and from there into actuality.” Positive thoughts and feelings call forth best efforts. When we make a positive formulation, it is a direct affirmation of the will. Once we take the positive mental position saying, “I can do it,” or “it can happen,” the whole of the emotional nature must be brought in perfect harmony with this. When the desire is intense, the will comes into action.
We may equate positivity with taking mentally firm position. Often, when there is a lapse in the discipline, we say that in future we will not waver so much. But that shows that we expect to waver at least a little. If we expect to waver, we will waver. It would be better to expect to hit the mark, instead of expecting to miss it. The reason, explains Mr. Crosbie, is that the psychological position taken and the quality of energy aroused in these two cases would be different. “We should cease doubting our power to accomplish. If we doubt, it will be like trying to shoot an arrow with a loose bow-string—no force, and no certainty of direction.” When the bow-string is pulled taut, and then let go, the arrow goes where pointed.
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This article also appeared in The Theosophical Movement. For more articles published in this excellent magazine follow this link: https://www.ultindia.org/magazines/tm.html