
Can positivity be counterproductive when suffering domestic abuse?: A narrative review. Mediating effects of positive thinking and social support on suicide resilience. Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. The effect of self-efficacy and positive thinking on subjective happiness of nursing students. When too much of a good attitude becomes toxic.

You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. We link primary sources - including studies, scientific references, and statistics - within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. When a person is unable to feel positive, they may feel as though they are failing. Toxic positivity encourages people to ignore their negative emotions, even though stifling them can make them feel even more powerful.

Low self-esteem: Everyone experiences negative emotions sometimes.This approach can destroy communication and the ability to solve relationship problems. Toxic positivity encourages people to ignore these challenges and focus on the positive. Communication issues: Every relationship has challenges.According to the American Psychiatric Association, stigma can deter a person from seeking mental health treatment. They may feel isolated or ashamed of their feelings, deterring them from seeking help. Isolation and stigma: People who feel pressure to smile in the face of adversity may be less likely to seek support.A parent who has lost a child, for example, might feel that their child was unimportant to others, compounding their grief. A person who repeatedly hears messages to move on or be happy might feel as though others do not care about their loss. Demeaning a loss: Grief and sadness are normal in the face of loss.Optimism, hope, and forgiveness increased the risk of people staying with their abusers and being subject to escalating abuse. Ignoring real harm: A 2020 narrative review of 29 studies of domestic violence found that a positive bias might cause people experiencing abuse to underestimate its severity and remain in abusive relationships.Some of the risks of toxic positivity include: Similarly, people who demand positivity from others may offer insufficient support or make loved ones feel stigmatized and judged. However, a person who believes that they must only be positive may ignore serious problems or not address underlying mental health issues. brushing off someone’s concerns by saying, “it could be worse”Ī generally positive outlook is not harmful.urging people to thrive no matter what adversity they face, such as by telling people that they must use enforced time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic to develop new skills or improve their fitness.

labeling people who always appear positive or do not share their emotions as being stronger or more likable than others.telling someone to get over their grief or suffering and focus on the good things in their life.urging someone to focus on the positive aspects of a devastating loss.asserting after a catastrophe that “everything happens for a reason”.telling a parent whose child has died to be happy that at least they can have children.Some examples of toxic positivity include: Toxic positivity, by contrast, demands positivity from people regardless of the challenges that they face, potentially silencing their emotions and deterring them from seeking social support. The research around positive thinking generally focuses on the benefits of having an optimistic outlook when experiencing a problem. Toxic positivity imposes positive thinking as the only solution to problems, demanding that a person avoid negative thinking or expressing negative emotions. Positive thinking does not exist in a vacuum, and it is not a panacea for all of life’s challenges. However, the data highlighting the benefits of positive thinking also show that factors such as social support and self-efficacy, which is a person’s ability to cope, interact with positive thinking to improve well-being. For example, a 2018 study of college students suggests that high self-esteem may support positive thinking, reducing the risk of suicidal ideas and gestures. Share on Pinterest Sarah Mason/Getty Imagesįor several decades, books and popular media have highlighted the potential value of positive thinking, and there is some evidence to show that it can improve mental health.
