Anna shares her experience of living with a friend who constantly focused on self-improvement and positive thinking, leading to a negative impact on her mental health. Professor Brock Bastian discusses the concept of toxic positivity and its negative effects on our well-being.
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.