Cultivating Positive Emotions

Positive emotions hold value and can be encouraged in our lives, here’s some ideas on that.

What emotions do for us

• Negative emotions have value, they highlight and prepare us for difficult situations (usually the next 3-30 seconds)
• Genuine positive emotions have value on their own, they are only related to pleasure, like cousins.
• Physical pleasure tends to narrow attention, and are linked to immediate rewards
• Positive emotions broaden attention and are linked to long term reward systems

10 Positive Emotions

• Joy – Occurs in life where you feel safe and familiar, little effort required. There’s also a quiet joy
• Gratitude – When you receive something beyond what you deserve
• Serenity – Occurs in life where you feel safe and familiar, nothing needs done, as an afterglow emotion
• Interest – Occurs in life where you feel safe and familiar, your attention is drawn to something new, you’re very activated and motivated
• Hope – Occurs in life when circumstances are difficult,  you have a belief things can be better
• Pride – Occurs in life when you’ve caused something good to happen
• Amusement – Occurs in life where you feel safe, something is unexpected, and usually there’s a social element
• Inspiration – When we see example of someone modeling the best in human nature
• Love – Includes all of the positive emotions above, adds to them, and is shared

Cultivate Positive Emotions by:

• Remembering when we felt them before
• Acting like we do when we feel them, via actions
• Putting ourselves in situations where we’re most likely to feel them again.
• Being more mindful of what we’re already feeling
• Emotions can’t be forced, only supported and allowed