What Good Are Positive Emotions? with Barbara Fredrickson

Making Positive Psychology Work

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She’s among the most highly cited and influential scholars in psychology and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and her general audience books, Positivity and Love 2.0 have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Dr. Fredrickson’s scholarly contributions have been recognized with numerous honors and her work has influenced scholars and practitioners worldwide within education, business, healthcare, the military, and beyond, and she’s regularly invited to give keynotes nationally and internationally.

In this week’s podcast, we explore how positive emotions can help to broaden our minds and build our emotional, social and physical well-being.

Connect with Dr. Barbara Fredrickson:

• https://peplab.web.unc.edu/

You’ll Learn:

• [ 02:58] - Barb explains why her research suggests we need to intentionally prioritize positivity in order to care for our wellbeing.
• [04:36] - Barb shares why positivity needs to be heartfelt.
• [08:17] - Barb explains why it’s important to be mindful about when to reach for positivity and when to sit with our more uncomfortable emotions.
• [10:51] - Barb shares her latest thoughts on positivity ratios and what we should be aiming for when it comes to the amount of positive emotion we experience.
• [13:27] - Barb outlines what studies are discovering about the impact positive emotions have on caring for our physical health.
• [14:38] - Michelle enters the lightning round!

Thanks for listening!

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Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.

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Until next time, take care! Thank you, Barb!