The Tyranny of Positivity and Avoiding Difficult Conversations

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Avoiding difficult conversations through a facade of toxic positivity, dubbed as the tyranny of positivity, hampers resilience building. The societal pressure to exude only good vibes stifles the growth potential in facing uncomfortable emotions and having crucial dialogues needed for fostering shared values. Encouraging blind positivity undermines the importance of acknowledging uncomfortable realities, implying prioritization of personal comfort over the truth of others' experiences.

You don’t always decide what you feel, but you do own how you react to those feelings. In her bestselling book and TED Talk, Harvard Medical School psychologist Susan David examines the skills involved in emotional agility. She and Adam go deep on this topic, discussing the risks of judging and suppressing unwanted emotions — and effective techniques for managing them. They explore why optimism is not essential to well-being and how to overcome pressure to be positive. And they reveal how paying attention to what you feel can reveal what you value. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts