10 Key Positive Emotions
Are you trying to be more positive?
Are you trying to be more centered or present?
Reflecting on positive emotions can help. Barbara Fredrickson identified 10 key positive emotions that are frequently experienced in people’s daily lives (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780124072367000012). “Like all emotions, positive emotions are brief, multisystem responses to some change in the way people interpret—or appraise—their current circumstances.”
Positive emotions are thought to lead to personal growth and development, unlike negative emotions which solve issues concerning immediate survival. Fredrickson’s research explores how experiencing a positive emotion causes behaviors and thoughts that indirectly help broaden a mindset and build resources for future hard times (20058214332_306 www.americanscientist.org).
Below are ten common emotions and how they can help with personal growth and development. Keep in mind that people need to be open to experience them to recognize or benefit from them.
I recommend thinking about how you have experienced positive emotions throughout your week. Experiment with how building your openness and awareness can lead to positive changes in your personal and professional life.
Joy makes us want to play and engage, which fosters skill development through experiential learning. People often find joy in receiving unexpected good fortune.
Gratitude prompts kindness and generosity, which cultivates skills for expressing care. It often arises when acknowledging another's role in one's good fortune.
Serenity, or contentment, fosters a refined sense of self and our priorities through savoring our experiences. It can arise from interpreting circumstances as cherished.
Interest sparks exploration and learning, which can expand our knowledge resources. Interest often spikes in safe but novel situations.
Hope motivates people to draw on their ability for resilience, optimism, and overcoming adversity. Hope is the only emotion in this list that is triggered by a negative or uncertain circumstance. For high-hope people, the circumstance becomes a call to action that can help change someone’s perspective on a situation.
Pride can fuel aspirations for bigger achievements and contribute to increased motivation. Often people feel pride when taking credit for socially valued outcomes.
Amusement fosters social bonds through shared laughter and levity. It occurs when people notice a nonserious social incongruity such as a language or physical misstep.
Inspiration motivates personal growth. It can help people see new possibilities and move towards them. Inspiration is often an outcome of experiences of insight such as watching excellence.
Awe prompts people to accommodate the vastness of what they have encountered which can help people see new perspectives and worldviews. It is often felt when encountering something of beauty.
Love helps build enduring social bonds and community. It is the most frequent positive emotion and comes from safe interpersonal connections.
Additional Resources
The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology (Am Psychol. 2001 Mar; 56(3): 218–226)
The Value of Positive Emotions (PDF 20058214332_306 www.americanscientist.org)
Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the 3-to-1 Ratio That Will Change Your Life by Barbara Fredrickson (Dec 2009)
The scientific study of inspiration in the creative process: challenges and opportunities (Front Hum Neurosci. 2014; 8: 436)
Factor Structure of the “Top Ten” Positive Emotions of Barbara Fredrickson (Front. Psychol., 13 May 2021)
Thinking Habits of Highly Hopeful People (Psychology Today, Sept 2022)
