Emotions

The human brain evolved to more naturally focus on what’s wrong rather than what’s right. At the time our human brain was evolving we were hunters and gatherers and regularly faced life or death situations. It was safer to interpret neutral or ambiguous signals around us, like a rustle in the grass or a strange sound, as a potential danger so we could act to avoid it, than to wait and see if it meant there was a predator waiting to pounce! Even though today, thankfully, such life or death moments are much rarer, our brain still responds this way, causing us to experience unpleasant emotions we don’t need to, to dwell on or give more weight to things that are potentially wrong and we tend to overlook what’s good or gone well. This phenomenon is known as ‘negativity bias’.

We can train our brain to look for the good around us, increasing the number of pleasant emotional moments we experience so over time we benefit from the ‘broaden and build’ effect outlined above. This doesn’t mean ignoring what’s wrong, but noticing what’s right. For example, studies show that simply reflecting and writing down three good things we experienced over the course of the day (however small), for seven days, boosted how happy people felt and reduced feeling down, and this impact lasted as long as six months!

Pleasant emotions aren’t only for good days — they can help us in the midst of tough times and challenges too, potentially increasing our resourcefulness and contributing to coping. It’s thought experiencing moments of pleasant emotions at such times can help buffer the detrimental effects difficulties can have on our psychological health. It might also have a bolstering effect, helping us to maintain our wellbeing at times of crisis and challenge, such as during the recent pandemic. Studies show the experience of pleasant emotions can help undo the potential damage chronic exposure to stress can have in our brains. Clinical psychologist Dr Maria Sirois advises that even on the very toughest of days, we can find a ‘best moment’, even if these are just the least bad.

Gratitude is a pleasant emotion that’s a firm foundation for happiness. It arises from recognising what we have or what we have received and, as a result, feeling thankful and appreciative. Experiencing gratitude has been shown to boost: happiness, optimism, resilience and physical health, reduce materialism and makes it less likely we’ll feel lonely. Gratitude connects us to others and the world around us, benefiting our relationships and communities. When we experience gratitude we are more likely to be kind, generous and compassionate to others and initiate social contact. It can help nurture our existing relationships by making others feel appreciated and fostering trust. It can have a ripple effect too — when we observe other people being thanked, it increases our motivation to connect with and help others! Whilst we may vary in the degree to which we have a naturally grateful orientation, importantly, studies show we can cultivate a greater attitude of gratitude!

There are many different pleasant emotions. In addition to gratitude, some of the most commonly experienced are joy, serenity, contentment, curiosity or interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe and love. We’ve touched on ways to cultivate some of these in our other Keys. So how can we make the most of any of our pleasant experiences? ‘Savouring’ is the practice of actively paying attention to, appreciating and intentionally enhancing our positive experiences. It’s a mindful process combined with actively seeking to amplify or prolong pleasant emotional experiences. It involves noticing our sensations, perceptions, thoughts, behaviours, and emotions whilst enjoying and appreciating a positive experience. Savouring helps us make the most of our experience in the moment, connecting it to pleasant emotions and anchoring both in our memory. In addition to boosting positive emotions, savouring has been shown to predict life satisfaction, help us feel more in control, reduce depressive symptoms and feel we have a better work-life balance. We can also savour retrospectively by vividly recalling and reminiscing about past positive experiences, and prospectively by reflecting on things we are looking forward to.

Harnessing the positive power of pleasant emotions doesn’t mean we’ll never experience unpleasant emotions. Whilst these might not feel good at the time, they can also serve a purpose or even have an upside. For example, fear (as we’ve seen) helps us escape danger; sadness signals we’ve lost someone or something meaningful for us; anger can enable us to address violations or injustices to ourselves or others; guilt signals we’ve done something wrong and can serve to reduce the likelihood of us doing it again. What’s important is that the emotion we feel is appropriate for, and in proportion to, the situation. Sometimes inaccurate thinking can cause us to feel unpleasant emotions inappropriately or excessively or to get stuck in them, undermining our resilience and causing us to feel bad unnecessarily. However, we can learn to recognise and manage unhelpful thinking, which can help us to better regulate how we feel and respond. Cultivating resilience can also help us develop these skills.