Research Paper about Toxic Positivity

In society we tend to only focus on the positive in difficult situations in life but we should be able to embrace all our emotions than only focus on the positive it might be difficult to do but it can benefit us all if we stop toxic positivity. In Brittany Wong’s What Is Toxic Positivity? Why It’s OK To Not Be OK Right Now.” Posted in the Huff Post  during the coronavirus pandemic in July 2020, she argues that an excessive amount  of positivity can have negative effects on mental health and life and provides us with examples and expert research.

Toxic positivity is the idea that we should focus only on positive emotions and the positive aspects of life. Toxic Positivity can be detrimental to mental health as stated in Wong’s article by clinical social worker Heather Monroe she says “toxic positivity oversimplifies the human brain and how we process emotions, and it can actually be detrimental to our mental health. The mental health effects of toxic positivity can lead to many issues down the road mentally as stated by Monroe “Feeling connected to and heard by others is one of the most powerful antidotes to depression and anxiety, while isolation fuels these emotional issues. Often, trying to hide or deny feelings can lead to more stress on the body and increased difficulty in avoiding upsetting emotions.  

During traumatic times where people’s nerves are high toxic positivity tends to appear and because we think being constantly being positive can help ease the situation or help keep your mind off it but it does the opposite. During the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic many instances of toxic positivity were on display in Wong’s article psychotherapist Noel McDermott  says ” “One of the biggest examples of toxic positivity is in the area of denial of the traumatic nature of the pandemic. “You see it when people only promote the positive experience of lockdown in which they have been on a journey of self-development, learning to live in peace with their inner world. Those instances of toxic positivity “delegitimizes the very legitimate worries people have about their health, their family and friends’ health and putting food on the table while unemployed or worrying about job security. 

Excessive positivity is not good, as a society we should do much better with allowing ourselves to acknowledge our complex emotions about things. The consequences of toxic positivity are very dangerous and can lead to many mental health issues To prevent toxic positivity we should be aware of our emotions and communicate your exact feelings.