This chapter explores the evolutionary value of negative emotions and how they provide essential information about threats and problems. It discusses society's emphasis on positive emotions and the suppression of negative emotions, leading to toxic positivity. The chapter also highlights personal experiences and the importance of allowing oneself to experience negative emotions, especially during times of suffering and grief.
We're urged to stay positive and keep up a cheerful disposition ... but sometimes things are just awful, aren’t they?
On All in the Mind this week we look at why we engage in toxic positivity, why it's so damaging when we do and whether something called 'tragic optimism' could be the antidote.
This episode was first broadcast in February 2022.