We are all afraid of negative emotions. Philosophies across the world teach us how to avoid negative emotions. But do you know negative emotions are as important as positive emotions in our lives? Read on to know why.
What Are Positive Emotions?
Positive emotions are emotions that we typically find pleasurable to experience. The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology defines them as “pleasant or desirable situational responses… distinct from pleasurable sensation and undifferentiated positive affect” (Cohn & Fredrickson, 2009).
Basically, this definition is stating that positive emotions are pleasant responses to our environment (or our own internal dialogue) that are more complex and targeted than simple sensations.
Some common positive emotions include love, joy, satisfaction, contentment, interest, amusement, happiness, serenity, awe etc.
What Are Negative Emotions?
On the other hand, negative emotions are those that we typically do not find pleasurable to experience. Negative emotions can be defined as “as an unpleasant or unhappy emotion which is evoked in individuals to express a negative effect towards an event or person” (Pam, 2013).
If an emotion discourages and drags you down, then it’s most likely a negative emotion. A few of the most commonly felt negative emotions are fear, anger, disgust, sadness, rage, loneliness, melancholy, annoyance etc.
Do We Need Both?
Look back over the list of sample negative emotions. Do you want to feel any of those emotions? You probably don’t, and it’s no wonder! It doesn’t feel good to experience any of those emotions.
Now, refer to the list of sample positive emotions. Have you ever felt one of these emotions and thought to yourself, “I wish I wasn’t experiencing this emotion?” Although you may have experienced this once or twice—generally at a time when we think we shouldn’t feel positive emotions—it’s easy to see that this list is full of pleasurable emotions that people tend to seek out. We know that we need positive emotions to function effectively, grow, and thrive.
So if it’s basically universally unpleasant for us to experience negative emotions and universally pleasant and desirable to experience positive emotions, do we actually need the negative ones at all?
As it turns out, yes!
Are Negative Emotions Necessary?
Although they are not pleasant to experience, negative emotions really are necessary for a healthy life. This is true for two big reasons:
- Negative emotions give us a counterpoint to positive emotions; without the negative, would the positive emotions still feel as good?
- Negative emotions serve evolutionary purposes, encouraging us to act in ways that boost our chances of survival and help us grow and develop as people.
Let’s accept positive and negative emotions, let’s accept life as it is, a beautiful blend of negative and positive emotions!
You can discuss the problems that you are facing with me by sending a mail to [email protected].
Discussion about this post