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Positive And Negative Emotions

Decent Essays

Sadness, fear, and anger are emotions that many people view as strictly negative. Society assumes these emotions’ only purpose is to damage people’s lives, and because these emotions are viewed as harmful, many people try to avoid them. However, these emotions are not given the credit they deserve. People encourage others to be optimistic and positive, but human beings are not supposed to be always happy. Negative emotions are surprisingly significant because they offer many benefits that positive emotions do not, but positive emotions are necessary as well. People’s lives are supposed to have a balance of each emotion in order to stay mentally and physically healthy. Even though people attempt to be happy all the time, they should accept …show more content…

They believe they are always safe. Many communities underappreciate negative emotions because psychologists and scientists rarely view negative emotions as beneficial. Although negative emotions are beneficial, happiness is equally important because it provides advantages, and negativity has its flaws also. In the article “The New Science of Happiness,” the author explains “Some of Seligman's own research, for instance, had focused on optimism, a trait shown to be associated with good physical health, less depression and mental illness, longer life and, yes, greater happiness” (Wallis). Happiness increases a person’s life span and decreases diseases which are helpful qualities. Being positive allows people to maintain healthy lives, so emotions associated with happiness provide a better lifestyle. Therefore, positivity is beneficial to people’s health; in contrast, excessive negativity can be unhealthy. As an article in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine asserts, “We expected that daily negative mood[s] at the end of day would predict worse reported sleep that night, whereas daily positive mood at the end of day would predict better sleep” (Song 945). Negativity can cause sleep deprivation, which can lead to other medical issues, so negativity has its faults as well. Therefore, positivity has benefits while negativity has flaws. Happiness is not just a feeling; it has an underlying purpose for people’s lives.

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