Emotions can be categorized as pleasant or unpleasant, with negative emotions being more attention-grabbing due to our ancestors prioritizing survival over opportunities. It is important to cultivate an awareness of positive emotions to not overlook them in the modern world filled with negativity. Negative emotions are beneficial in fitting circumstances, but if they persist for prolonged periods, they can become detrimental. Emotional wisdom involves matching emotions to circumstances appropriately. Resilient individuals do not dwell on negative emotions for extended periods. To address overwhelming negative emotions, one must recognize when they are no longer helpful and examine thought patterns fueling these emotions. It is essential to accept emotions, understand that they are transient, and allow them to pass by riding the wave, as emotions are a crucial part of the human experience. Older individuals tend to be happier as they accept their emotions to a greater extent, a valuable lesson from life experience.
Romantic love isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – at least that’s one way positive psychologist Barbara Fredrickson puts it. Barbara’s decades of research suggest that emotions outside of our narrow definition of love are just as important to our well-being. In this episode, Barbara shares what to look for when we want to broaden our experience of positive emotions, and suggests ways to build the consistent connection and care at the heart of our best relationships. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts