Positivity: The Psychology, Definition, and Examples

What is positivity? Why is positivity important to cultivate? And how do you increase your positivity? Here are some strategies.

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What Is Positivity?

Positivity is the practice or tendency to be positive or optimistic in life. When we are positive, we engage in positive thinking, have positive emotions, and engage in positive behaviors like kindness and generosity. All of this positivity contributes to positive outcomes like improved well-being (take our well-being quiz) and mental health.

What Are the Parts of Positivity?

Positivity is made up of positive thinking, positive emotions, and positive behaviors. Here are some examples of what each of these may include.

Positive thinking:

Transforming negative thoughts into positive thoughts
Noticing positive aspects of a situation
Challenging pessimistic thoughts (Bekhet & Zauszniewski, 2013)

Positive emotions:

Happiness
Enthusiasm
Contentment
Joy

Positive behaviors:

Practicing random acts of kindness
Not phubbing (phone snubbing) your friends.
Living healthier (creating a healthy lifestyle)
Doing good things for the world

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The Power of Positivity

Positivity is made up of different components, each of which has different, but mostly positive, impacts on our lives. For example, self-focused positive thinking tends to be good for well-being and buffer the effects of stress (Taylor & Brown, 1994). So try using strategies like self-compassion and self-kindness to grow this aspect of positivity. It is likely also beneficial for us to improve our feelings of self-worth and self-confidence (Miller Smedema, Catalano, & Ebener, 2010).

Future-focused positivity thinking and optimism tend to help us have better well-being, social relationships, and cope better with stress (Taylor & Brown, 1994). Similarly, present-focused positive thinking—for example about how much control we have over stressful situations—generally helps us cope better (Crum, Akinola, Martin, & Fath, 2017).

Some of the Best Positivity Books

1. Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the 3-to-1 Ratio That Will Change Your Life

You’ll discover:
• What positivity is, and why it needs to be heartfelt to be effective
• The ten sometimes surprising forms of positivity
• Why positivity is more important than happiness
• That your own sources of positivity are unique and how to tap into them
• How to calculate your current positivity ratio, track it, and improve it

Check prices on Amazon.

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2. True You: A Self-Discovery Journal of Prompts and Exercises to Inspire Reflection and Growth

Empower yourself to discover who you are, what you love, and what you desire out of life. True You is a beautifully illustrated self discovery journal that combines thought-provoking prompts and creative exercises to help you gain meaningful introspection and unlock your potential.

Check prices on Amazon.

3. The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: Give Thanks, Practice Positivity, Find Joy

Positivity begins with gratitude―the feeling of appreciation for the people and experiences in our lives that have helped or supported us in some way. The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal makes it easy and enjoyable to develop a daily gratitude practice, with insightful prompts that take just 5 minutes to complete.

Check prices on Amazon.

4. A Year of Positive Thinking: Daily Inspiration, Wisdom, and Courage

In A Year of Positive Thinking, you’ll transform your mindset to create positive life changes―one thought, one day, and one year at a time.

Whether you’re new to journaling or you write regularly, this book empowers you with positive thinking through quick and digestible affirmations based on positive psychology, neuroscience, and personal development. Spanning one full year, these daily prompts guide you by helping you visualize and live your best life.

Check prices on Amazon.

5. The Positivity Kit: Instant Happiness on Every Page

Brimming with engaging prompts that focus on the good things in life, this interactive book is guaranteed to cheer up even the grumpiest person on the rainiest day.

Prompts include:

Draw your dream home.
Make a grateful list.
Compile the perfect playlist.
Write a thank you note to a stranger.

Check prices on Amazon.

6. The Positivity Workbook for Teens

In this unique workbook, you’ll learn to tap into the power of your own character strengths—such as bravery, creativity, being a good friend, perseverance, honesty, and more—in order to build self-confidence, boost a positive attitude, and cope with the inevitable stress of life.

Check prices on Amazon.

Video: Research on Positivity

Examples of Positivity

Here are some examples of positivity. Use these examples to help build your own positivity habit.

“Even though I sometimes fail, I always try my best.”
“My parents weren't perfect, but they did the best they could.”
“I’m so lucky to have such great friends and family in my life."
“That game of tennis was so fun.”
“It’s all going to be alright.”
“I'm looking forward to the holidays this year.”

Positivity Words

Lots of research has shown that prior knowledge supports memory (Newberry & Bailey, 2019). When our brains have more information on a topic, the easier it is to recall anything related to that topic. By this logic, the more positive information, words, and memories we have related to positive things, the easier it should be to be positive.

Research has already shown that we can improve cognitive functions (like memory and attention) in ways that enhance positivity and well-being (Villani, Serino, Triberti, & Riva, 2017). For example, training people to focus on the positive over the negative contributes to improvement in well-being (MacLeod, et al., 2002; Wadlinger & Isaacowitz, 2008).

Overall, this suggests that strengthening our brain in ways that increase our positive knowledge should help us increase positivity. One way to do this is to memorize positive words. Check out our positivity workbook for a science-based positive word collection (Bradley & Lang, 1999).

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Positivity Practices

Here are some practices that can help you increase your positivity.

1. Write gratitude notes

Gratitude notes are notes of appreciation written for specific people. Ask yourself:

Who is someone that you are grateful for today?
What did they do?
Why was it important to you?

Once you've answered these questions, write out a note or text message to give to this person. By sharing your gratitude you can amplify and extend your positivity.

Here are a few more science-based gratitude practices for positivity:

2. Write a self-compassion letter

Have you ever heard people say, "You can't love someone else until you love yourself?" Now, I don't know if there is science to back this up, but certainly, self-compassion is a key aspect of positivity. Being comfortable in your own skin—and finding your true self—can make it easier to accept others as they are and give and receive love more easily. To build your self-compassion, one research-based strategy is to write a self-compassion letter (Shapira & Mongrain, 2010). This letter is kind and comforting. You basically talk to yourself like you were a small child. Here's the self-compassion letter activity if you need more help.

3. Positive attention

Numerous studies show that training our attention away from negative things and onto positive things improves our well-being (MacLeod, et al., 2002; Wadlinger & Isaacowitz, 2008). So to grow your positivity, try to shift your attention to the positive over the negative.

4. Positive reappraisal

Positive reappraisal is an emotion regulation strategy where we look for silver linings in an otherwise challenging situation. We can try to find the benefits or downplay the negative parts until we feel a bit better about the situation. Here is a positive reappraisal activity to try to practice this skill.

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Positivity Meditations

Doing positivity meditations can shift your mood and help you develop a more positive mindset. Doing these types of meditations regularly (each day or even once a week) can give you the opportunity to focus on your goal to increase positivity and prioritize this goal in your life. Below, I've included a few of my favorite positivity meditation videos.

Video: Positivity Guided Meditation

Video: Positivity Meditation (No words)

Positivity vs. Negativity

In some ways, negativity is the opposite of positivity, just as optimism is often contrasted with pessimism. But we have to remember that each of us developed our emotional styles for a reason. And forcing negativity to turn into positivity may not work well. For example, inducing a positive mood in pessimists not only hurts performance, but it also makes them even more anxious. For some of us, worry is used to explore potentially negative outcomes, and this helps reduce anxiety (Norem & Chang, 2002). So just be thoughtful about how you feel and whether positivity is right for you in each situation.

Video: Why positivity is so hard and negativity is so easy

True Positivity vs False Positivity

The thing about positivity is that it's not so great for us if we don't mean it or we're not being genuine. False positivity is when we feel we are being forced to be positive or put on a happy face even when we're feeling sad or bad. Given suppression and other forms of emotional avoidance are not good for well-being, it's not surprising that false positivity also doesn't feel so good. Given authenticity is so important for well-being, it's more important that you be yourself and be true to your feelings than squash them down just for the sake of being positive.

Positivity Images

Some of us are more visual and we can generate more positivity from visuals than from thought exercises or meditations. If that sounds like you, here are some positivity images that are likely to boost your mood. Take a moment to just take these in, savoring any positive emotions that arise.

Questions to Ask Yourself to Beat Negativity

Sometimes there are negative thought patterns that get in the way of our positivity. We want to feel more positive, but we also feel stuck--My life sucks, I don't have X, or Positivity is impossible. Ask yourself, are you stuck using any of these negative thinking styles:

Catastrophizing. Catastrophizing is when you expect that everything will turn out with the worst possible outcome.
Minimization. Minimizing is when you ignore or cast aside the positive side of things.
Overgeneralization. Overgeneralization is when you experience something negative and think it means that you'll always have negative experiences.

These negative thinking styles can get us stuck in our negativity and make it difficult to boost positivity. So try challenging these thinking styles.

Questions to Ask Yourself to Boost Positivity

Sometimes we just need to get our mind primed to think in more positive ways. Here are a few questions to get your mind active:

What positive qualities or strengths do you have?
Are there any good things that have occurred that you are grateful for?
What music, foods, or activities do you like?
Is there anything else that makes you feel positive?

Final Thoughts on Positivity

If you want to be more positive, you can be. Just be sure to take it slow and don't force positivity when you don't feel like it. The more you practice and build these positivity skills, the greater your positivity can become.

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References

Bekhet, A. K., & Zauszniewski, J. A. (2013). Measuring use of positive thinking skills: Psychometric testing of a new scale. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 35(8), 1074-1093.
Bradley, M. M., & Lang, P. J. (1999). Affective norms for English words (ANEW): Instruction manual and affective ratings (Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 25-36). Technical report C-1, the center for research in psychophysiology, University of Florida.
Crum, A. J., Akinola, M., Martin, A., & Fath, S. (2017). The role of stress mindset in shaping cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses to challenging and threatening stress. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 30(4), 379-395.
MacLeod, C., Rutherford, E., Campbell, L., Ebsworthy, G., & Holker, L. (2002). Selective attention and emotional vulnerability: assessing the causal basis of their association through the experimental manipulation of attentional bias. Journal of abnormal psychology, 111(1), 107.
Miller Smedema, S., Catalano, D., & Ebener, D. J. (2010). The relationship of coping, self-worth, and subjective well-being: A structural equation model. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 53(3), 131-142.
Newberry, K. M., & Bailey, H. R. (2019). Does semantic knowledge influence event segmentation and recall of text?. Memory & cognition, 47(6), 1173-1187.
Norem, J. K., & Chang, E. C. (2002). The positive psychology of negative thinking. Journal of clinical psychology, 58(9), 993-1001.
Shapira, L. B., & Mongrain, M. (2010). The benefits of self-compassion and optimism exercises for individuals vulnerable to depression. Journal of Positive Psychology, 5, 377-389.
Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1994). Positive illusions and well-being revisited: separating fact from fiction.
Villani, D., Serino, S., Triberti, S., & Riva, G. (2017). Ageing positively with digital games. In eHealth 360° (pp. 148-155). Springer, Cham.
Wadlinger, H. A., & Isaacowitz, D. M. (2008). Looking happy: The experimental manipulation of a positive visual attention bias. Emotion, 8(1), 121.

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