Always wanting to be in a jubilant mood can damage the psyche.
Image: dpa
You should always smile, be thankful, show confidence. But can’t that be dangerous? Psychologists and learning researchers explain when it helps to fixate on the good and when the compulsion to be positive is harmful.
DThat’s why I started this practice, to say to all of you, pull yourself together.” Comedian Aurel Mertz presented himself in a video in late January as a “trained positivologist” who heals people with clumsy shoulder pats. At the beginning of the year, several comedians, moderators and writers satirically devoted themselves to this topic: “toxic positivity”, the hiding of all negative feelings. The reminder to always focus on the positive. Always be thankful or mindful. You are the master or woman of your own feelings, so bad moods are your own fault. The satirist Christina Schlag aptly summed up the currently apparently favored strategy for solving all problems in North German Broadcasting: smile, go to work and be thankful.
But doesn’t the compulsion to think positive also create stress and harm people with psychological difficulties rather than making their problems magically disappear? After all, the world offers little cause for optimism. As we witness another war in Europe, Arctic glaciers continue to melt and corona incidences are still high. Nevertheless, psychologists and learning researchers believe that a certain positivity can help the psyche. The only thing that matters is the right method.