Why do we need positive and negative emotions

Many people think that positive psychology deals exclusively with positive emotions. It is quite logical: the direction is really focused on achieving happiness. The matter is not limited to this: negative emotions are an integral part of experience, without them the perception of the world would be meager and one-sided.

Humanity has been studying the emotional sphere for several millennia. During such a period, people have learned to understand their feelings quite well, but still they have not fully understood that it is normal for a healthy person to experience diametrically opposite states. Let’s understand the concepts.

Positive emotions are pleasant experiences. The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology defines them as «pleasant or desirable situational responses other than feelings of pleasure and undifferentiated positive affect». In essence, this is an approving attitude towards events, objects and impressions, more complex and specific than physical sensations.

Negative emotion is a painful experience, “an unpleasant or depressed state that occurs in response to a negative event or act.” If an emotion is disheartening and demoralizing, it is negative.

Examples of positive and negative emotions

The scale of emotions is quite extensive, and the way they are expressed largely depends on the personality type. The theoretical base is good, but in most cases recognition occurs at an intuitive level. We simply “know” what the manifestations of different emotions look like.

Common positive emotions include:

• love,
• joy,
• satisfaction,
• bliss,
• interest,
• fun,
• happiness,
• serenity,
• Delight.

Common negative emotions include:

• Fear,
• anger,
• disgust,
• sadness,
• rage,
• loneliness,
• despondency,
• irritation.

Do we really need both?

Let’s take a closer look at the list of negative emotions. Do you want to experience them? Most likely not, and this is not surprising. Each of them is associated with suffering.

Now let’s look at the list of positive emotions. It is unlikely that, having experienced these feelings, you said to yourself: “I wish this never happened!” These states are familiar to everyone, and we strive to experience them again and again.

But if experiencing negative emotions is unpleasant, is it possible to do without them? They benefit us. Negative emotions are given as opposed to positive ones. Without them, we would not be aware of the latter. They are an integral part of the evolutionary process, thanks to them people have learned to survive, develop and grow.

Coach Tracey Kennedy reminds us that every basic emotion, no matter what color it is, has a purpose.

• Anger teaches us to face difficulties.
• Fear protects against danger.
• Worry makes you plan for the future.
• Surprise opens the way to knowledge.
• Joy reminds of the important.
• Sadness brings you closer to your loved ones.
• Trust awakens a willingness to help.
• Disgust warns against everything that can harm.

How long would we be able to live if we were not afraid of anything? Without fear, we would constantly find ourselves in dangerous situations and expose ourselves to unjustified risks. Were it not for disgust, we would have swallowed the chemicals we could reach even in early childhood. As unpleasant as negative emotions are, there is no denying that they serve important purposes.

Is stress a response to negative situations?

Many people believe that stress arises as an emotional reaction to negativity, but the events that we call joyful: planning a wedding, preparing for a long-awaited move, vacation, having a child, an interesting new job — often cause a lot of stress too.

Most will agree that it is perfectly normal to worry and be nervous in such cases. This once again shows that the combination of positive and negative allows us to maintain peace of mind.

What is the main difference between emotions?

As we already know, polar emotional reactions are the key to a fulfilling life. Both positive and negative emotions play a huge role in the functioning of the brain, but their functions are different.

So, positive emotions:

• improve mood and set up productive thinking,
• stimulate the pleasure centers, reduce the level of stress hormones and improve well-being,
• help to keep attention and expand horizons.

Negative emotions:

• participate in the resolution of emotional conflicts, tie together conflicting feelings, help express internal resistance,
• eliminate mental conflicts, helping to recognize ambiguous or inaccurate information and comprehend ambiguous signals,
• reduce the «degree» of empathy, which makes it possible to move away from other people’s problems and focus on their own needs.

Emotions that are essentially different have an exceptionally important place in the brain system: they do not crowd out, but complement each other.

Emotions in positive psychology

Given the influence of emotional processes on our thoughts and actions, it is not difficult to understand why positive psychology pays close attention to opposing emotions. The ability to accumulate positive emotions and see opportunities in them is just as necessary as the ability to endure negative emotions and successfully cope with them.

A person who is able to accept, realize and control his states lives a meaningful and harmonious life. That is why positive psychology sets the task of turning negative emotions into useful experience, and then transforming it into positive emotions.

A few words about neutral emotions

Classical psychology somewhat detracts from the importance of neutral emotions. However, in some Buddhist practices they are given a special meaning and denoted by the term adukkhamasuha, which translates as «neither painful nor pleasant.» Scholar and meditation teacher Bhikkhu Analayo describes them as «sensations in the middle spectrum, between pain and pleasure, almost imperceptible, which bring neither happiness nor torment.»

We are so accustomed to a moderate state that we practically do not show interest in it, but it is in this emotional field that most of human life passes. Think about what your typical day looks like: how long did the joy and pleasure take? Anger and sadness? Most likely not much. All the remaining hours you experienced neutral emotions.

Although neutral emotions have zero valence, it is believed that they can be called positive, since they do not have pain and suffering. Negative emotions are always painful, but no matter how much you want to push them out of your memory, it is important to understand that this is part of the lived experience.

The author is Courtney Ackerman, a specialist in the field of positive organizational psychology.