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The human brain is one of the most complex and fascinating organs. It has the ability to be immersed in complex processes such as thinking, expressing and managing emotions, memory functions, and experiencing the world around us. Multiple studies confirm that repetition helps to strengthen the neural pathways in our brain. This can in turn help individuals with habit formation, memory, and thinking processes. Positive thinking is a result of this idea. It is simply defined as the practice of focusing on the positive in any given situation. 

But the question arises, does positivity always have a positive impact?

 

An important part of positive thinking is to not neglect reality or make a situation or problem seem lesser than it may be. That is the point where positive thinking can become toxic positivity. Toxic Positivity is defined as the idea that positive thinking is the only approach to tackle problems. Some examples of this include telling someone who is grieving that they should focus on the positive side, undermining the severity of adversity and telling yourself or others to thrive in such times. The issue here is that such actions give the message that negative emotions are bad and one must always be positive. This can do more harm than good. The world today emphasizes a lot on happiness. Our loved ones may say such things with good intent but it is also important to think about the fact that this might be the only way they know how to help.  

 

Why is it important to know about Toxic Positivity?

Many individuals have good intentions when they try to help others but may not know how to help. Imposing positivity even in situations when someone is going through a difficult time can lead to the situation getting worse. According to a study conducted in 2010, emotional regulation and the ability to express one's emotions can lead to increased well-being, income, and socio-economic status. But an individual focusing only on the positives in a toxic manner may suppress their negative emotions, use avoidance as a coping mechanism, and be dismissive towards the severity of the issue. In the long run, these may manifest themselves as high stress levels, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, communication difficulties, and impact one's physical health. 

 

How can Toxic Positivity be prevented?

The problem lies in being positive and dismissive towards negative emotions to an extent that it can be invalidating and may stagnate growth. This has an easy fix to it: not being positive all the time and validating negative emotions. A few examples include recognizing that negative emotions are a part of life, identifying and naming emotions one may feel, encouraging others to speak about their emotions in a non-judgmental space, and recognizing that with intense negative emotions there is an intense positive emotion attached to it (profound grief can signify intense love towards the loss). 

 

Strengthening the neural connections of positivity can lead to a profound positive impact on an individuals life, but it is also important to draw the line and ask oneself till what point will this be beneficial and help me grow. It is a slippery slope to walk on but getting comfortable and recognizing negative emotions can be beneficial in creating a greater sense of self-awareness and improving one's quality of life.