Pollyanna, Eleanor Porter’s uplifting book from 1913 touched on something deeply rooted in the human soul. It tells the story of the main character who, despite being tragically orphaned and made to live with a grumpy aunt, remains so optimistic that it spreads to those around her. The novel was so beloved that it resulted in the formation of “Glad Clubs” devoted to Pollyanna’s practice of making gratitude lists.
Even though calling someone a Pollyanna is often seen as an insult, the pursuit of hope and happiness during tough times is a fundamental human trait. When faced with defeat or hardship, many of us look for the silver lining, the bright spot that can help ease our situation. Despite the negative connotations associated with being excessively optimistic, the quest for hope and happiness in the face of adversity is a lasting human characteristic.
It seems that this tendency may be ingrained in our neurobiology. When individuals respond to pain and suffering with optimism rather than despair, they display distinct activity in the brain’s default network, which handles memory, imagination, and subjective interpretations, according to a recent article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The authors of the PNAS study attempted to replicate in the lab the type of situation a real-life caregiver might encounter–the indirect suffering of a patient. How a caregiver reacts to the distress of their loved ones or clients can significantly impact the mental well-being of both parties. The researchers showed 40 participants videos of patients discussing their experiences with cystic fibrosis, then measured the participants’ neural responses and asked them to write down everything they could recall from each video.
Participants who perceived a silver lining in the patients’ suffering exhibited a wider range of brain wave patterns immediately after watching the videos compared to those who had negative reactions. The authors suggest that these unusual cognitive patterns might help individuals “counteract” their negative responses before they become ingrained in memory, although these processes may occur below the level of conscious awareness.
The results support a well-established theory of positive psychology, which posits that positive emotions result in a broader set of ideas and potential courses of action, while negative emotions lead to a narrower focus of attention and thinking, as the authors explain. This is known as the “broaden and build” theory of positive emotion, and it is backed by a growing body of empirical evidence.
Negative emotion has its value: It can serve as a motivator for change.
Another term psychologists use to describe the process of countering a negative reaction is “cognitive reappraisal.” Studies have revealed that some individuals are naturally more adept at this, and this trait has consistently been associated with good mental health. The goal is to alter “the way you think about something, to change how you feel about it,” explains Brett Ford, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and the director of the Affective Science & Health Laboratory.
People who have social anxiety may struggle more with this kind of mental change, while people with depression may be less inclined to attempt it, as per the 2018 study in Clinical Psychology Review, which examined 104 papers. “The research suggests that individuals with depression might not be less capable of using reappraisal,” Ford says, “but they’re less likely to do so.”
Although some of us may find it easier to see the positive in negative situations, evidence indicates that it can be taught. In fact, it's a fundamental skills that people are taught in cognitive behavioral therapy, a popular form of psychotherapy increasingly recommended for treating depression and anxiety. In a 2017 study in the Journal of Happiness Studies, participants who took three short online reappraisal trainings experienced fewer negative emotions linked to visualizing a recent stressful event two weeks after finishing the course. All three groups also saw a notable increase in overall well-being after the training.
However, attempting to feel positive about misfortune doesn't always succeed. “Western culture often promotes feeling good,” Ford notes. “A reappraisal strategy that aids in feeling good when facing stress is likely to be culturally encouraged. Nonetheless, this strategy may be more effective in certain contexts compared to others.” It can “backfire when you spend precious resources trying to reappraise but are actually ruminating instead,” she says.
And intense negative emotion can be beneficial: It can act as a motivator for change. In research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Ford and her co-authors discovered that successful cognitive reappraisal can decrease the willingness to take political action. The researchers exposed U.S. participants to political clips, instructed them to use specific strategies (or no strategy) to regulate their emotions, and then tracked and analyzed their diary entries to observe how they coped. “People who use reappraisal more effectively to decrease negative emotions about politics are less politically involved—less likely to donate, volunteer time, or attend demonstrations,” says Ford.
In another article, Ford and colleagues found that those who used reappraisal more effectively to reduce fear about COVID-19 were less likely to engage in COVID-protecting health behaviors recommended by the CDC, such as mask wearing and social distancing, putting themselves and others in the community at risk. What good is a great mood if it prevents us from protecting ourselves and others against a deadly virus?
In the end, silver lining thinking represents a kind of trade-off: while turning a negative experience into a more positive one can enhance mental health, it can also decrease the likelihood of taking action to change that experience. How we react to adversity appears to require a bit of a balancing act. So look for the silver lining, but keep an eye on that storm cloud.
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