The Problems with Forced Positivity and the Impact of Avoiding Difficult Emotions

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Forced positivity creates pressure to always be in a good mood, leading to avoidance of difficult emotions. This can hinder genuine coping and resilience, as seen in the speaker's personal experience. The societal emphasis on toxic positivity can prevent people from acknowledging and addressing their real emotional struggles, leading to a lack of wisdom and learning. Encouraging only positive emotions can prioritize the comfort of others over facing the reality of challenging conversations and shared values.

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