Positive And Negative Emotions

The world is filled with a vast amount of emotions and people tend to experience a majority of them on a daily basis. Each person experiences different levels of emotions and the way a certain emotion affects one person can have a different effect on someone else. Emotions can be split into two categories: positive and negative. Positive emotions consist of happiness and joy, while negative emotions can be expressed through sadness and anger. However, society often fixates on happiness which “fosters a craven disregard for the value of sadness,” thus causing negative emotions to be pushed aside (Begley 455). Furthermore, negative emotions aid in the development of a “rhythm [in] the cosmos,” and a balance within an individual’s emotional and

But how can one benefit from being sad? As it turns out, negative emotions provide substantial benefits to one’s well­being that are just as influential as positive emotions. Negative emotions are perceived as pathways that lead to depression and to the ignoring of the world around one’s self. However, negative emotions allow individuals to become “more analytical, more critical, and more innovative,” and can also help “direct...thinking,” which counterbalances the effects of too much happiness and betters the well­being of individuals throughout society (Begley 456). Additionally, when someone is in a better mood they tend to focus more on themselves and begin to “ignore others;” however, with sadness, individuals “pay more attention to fairness,” which produces a positive effect for not only themselves but also for those around them (David 125­126). These simple benefits of negative emotions play an important role in an individual's daily life and trying to disconnect these emotions by only allowing the positive emotions to surface inhibits a needed balance among emotions. Moreover, a change in emotions allows a person to build their character because they are more likely to be more attentive to others ideas rather than selfishly ignoring

good... meaningful...[and] full life” (Seligman 1380). When different types of emotions are viewed by individuals, most people will lean towards the positive end of emotions. If someone was given the choice they would “prefer to be slap happy all the time,” because it is said that happiness leads to productivity (David 124). For instance, when in a positive mood one is able to increase their strengths which allows them to “[connect] with something larger than themselves” (Seligman 1380). Also when one experiences positive moods they “build vital social, physical,