Has the fashion for emotional positivity gone too far?
Professor Susan David says it has. Professor David is a Harvard psychology professor and bestselling author of Emotional Agility.
In this short interview with US star reporter Megyn Kelly, Professor David says that positivity has become an emotional tyranny that robs us of the personal growth that can come when we experience discomfort.
Professor David calls emotional discomfort the admission price for a meaningful life.
“We live in a space which tells us we’ve got to be positive, and yet so much of our growth comes from when we’re experiencing discomfort, when we’re going to new places, when we’re trying new things, and our interactions with new people.
“And so, it’s only when we open ourselves to discomfort, and that might be fear, it might be the pain we are experiencing. So much of our joy ultimately comes through being OK with these difficult emotions.”
In the interview, Professor David lists three key strategies to help us overcome the pernicious effects of excessive and fake positivity:
· be more compassionate with ourselves
· create space between ourselves and our emotions
· label our emotions more effectively.
For a much more detailed discussion about Professor David’s ideas, please watch this interview with Lewis Howes following the first video
