What Makes Positivity Toxic?

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. A Saying What Makes Positivity Toxic? ...So, it appears the key ingredient in toxic positivity is not positivity itself, after all. Rather, it is how a person’s attitude to happiness leads them to respond to negative experiences in life. The prospect of experiencing pain, failure, loss, or disappointment in life is unavoidable. There are times we are going to feel depressed, anxious, fearful, or lonely. This is a fact. What matters is how we respond to these experiences. Do we lean into them and accept them for what they are, or do we try to avoid and escape from them? If we are aiming to be happy all the time then we might feel tough times are interrupting our goal. But if we simply put a priority on positivity, we are less concerned by these feelings – we see them as an ingredient in the good life and part of the overall journey. Authors: Brock Bastian is a professor of the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences at The University of Melbourne. Ashley Humphrey is a lecturer in psychology at Federation University Australia. Source: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-avoid-toxic-positivity-and-take-the-less-direct-route-to-happiness?utm_source=pocket-newtab