Welcome to the first edition of Iswara Connect, providing insights into research, tools and strategies that support your Mental Fitness.

In this edition we will be looking at the term “prioritising positivity” and its relationship to experiencing happiness and enhancing our overall wellbeing.

Positive and negative events are elements of life - sometimes we can control them, and other times they seem to appear randomly with no warning signs.

The way we respond to these events can dramatically affect our mental and physical health. Importantly, the way we intentionally go about our daily lives can also significantly impact our overall wellbeing.

Knowing all of this, the question is, how can you use positivity to influence your happiness and wellbeing?

To help answer this, let's take a look at some of the research and strategies we can use.

What does the research say?

If we start by looking at happiness, something we all aspire to have, the search for happiness is described as ‘a delicate art’ [Catalino, Algoe^[1]].

If we look at happiness as the state of experiencing positive emotions (e.g. joy, love, interest, gratitude), there are specific strategies that can be used to cultivate happiness.

What is important is that not all of these strategies are created equal, and some are actually counterproductive ^{[1, 2]}.

Firstly..
Research shows that when people are constantly paying attention to their level of happiness – happiness actually tends to decrease.

Additionally...

People who try to maximise their happiness during a positive event with high expectations in mind, or obsessively value happiness, end up with lower levels of happiness ^[1-3].

Now here is a subtle, but important difference to be aware of... Research has shown that reflecting on a positive life experience can increase wellbeing [and therefore happiness] BUT analysing a positive life experience can have the opposite effect ^[4].

Sometimes what appears to be the obvious choice, isn't necessarily the case!

Remember the infamous saying:

“It isn’t what you do, but how you do it.”

John Wooden

Prioritising Positivity

Prioritising positivity refers to the extent to which individuals proactively structure their lives to have regular experiences of positivity ^[1]. While the choices that each of us make can differ quite significantly, the common thread is the tendency to seek out positivity in daily life.

Research shows that people high in prioritising positivity experienced more frequent positive emotions, fewer negative emotions, greater life satisfaction, more flourishing, and were less depressed ^[5].

So why are positive emotions so important? Well, positive emotions predict how well people’s immune systems function, their job performance, and the strength of their social bonds, which are important factors for most, if not all, of us ^[6].

Tip 1

While happiness is a priority for those people high in prioritizing positivity, it is not the only thing that they value, and they will tend to have other goals of importance.

Tip 2

Research supports that we can influence our own wellbeing through prioritising positivity and intentional actions ^[3]. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Putting it into Practice

Now, think about your own life. Firstly, ask yourself and contemplate, when you recall positive life experiences that you've had, are you reflecting on them or analysing these events?

We now know that prioritising positivity, how we go about arranging our daily lives, can improve our happiness and wellbeing.

So how can you incorporate this into your life? We've listed below a few options to consider, but feel free to come up with your own.

Option 1

Plan for positive moments that you enjoy – for example, if you enjoy going out for a walk in nature with friends, give them a call and organise it, or take some time to play with your pet.

Option 2

Engage in practices designed to increase positivity – things like meditation, mindfulness, writing gratitude letters and practising acts of kindness. Think about positive things that really make you feel good!

Option 3

‘Let go’ of high expectations that you self-impose– for example, if you are at a get together with friends, rather than regularly assessing whether you’re having a good time, instead have an attitude of acceptance.

What can you incorporate in your life from this research

to enhance your wellbeing?

Up for a Challenge?

To help kick start how you can incorporate this in your life, Iswara will be running a 3-day challenge in the latter part of April. This challenge will only take 5-10 minutes each day and is a great way to start incorporating intentional positivity as part of your day.

Keep an eye out for an email invitation to the challenge.

We hope you enjoyed the first edition of Iswara Connect and look forward to speaking to you again in our next edition.

References

Catalino, L.I., S.B. Algoe, and B.L. Fredrickson, Prioritizing positivity: an effective approach to pursuing happiness? Emotion, 2014. 14(6): p. 1155-61.
Datu, J.A.D. and R.B. King, Prioritizing positivity optimizes positive emotions and life satisfaction: A three-wave longitudinal study. Personality and Individual Differences, 2016. 96: p. 111-114.
Catalino, L.I. and W. Tov, Daily variation in prioritizing positivity and well-being. Emotion, 2022. 22(5): p. 874-879.
Lyubomirsky, S., L. Sousa, and R. Dickerhoof, The costs and benefits of writing, talking, and thinking about life's triumphs and defeats. J Pers Soc Psychol, 2006. 90(4): p. 692-708.
Littman-Ovadia, H. and P. Russo-Netzer, Prioritizing positivity across the adult lifespan: initial evidence for differential associations with positive and negative emotions. Quality of life research, 2019. 28(2): p. 411-420.
Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9, 111-131.

Disclaimer

Iswara Connect is published for the benefit of our readers and is for information and guideline purposes only, and does not constitute medical or health advice. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.