Positivity in Life and Work: A Study on Emotions and Their Effects

This essay explores the significance of positivity in both personal and professional contexts, drawing upon the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. It highlights how positive emotions can enhance well-being, improve productivity, and foster better interpersonal relationships. The essay discusses the application of positive psychology in various fields, including healthcare and organizational management, emphasizing the role of adaptive leadership in creating a positive work environment. It further suggests practical strategies for cultivating positivity, such as rewards and recognition, open communication, and promoting work-life balance, ultimately advocating for the integration of positive emotions to unlock personal and organizational potential. This document is available on Desklib, where students can find a wealth of academic resources, including past papers and solved assignments.

Running head: POSITIVITY IN LIFE AND WORK
Positivity In Life and Work
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

2POSITIVITY IN LIFE AND WORK
The science of positive emotions has matured greatly since the 1990s. Psychologists have
been working on the discovery and the use of positive science in the day to day actions of life.
This is a very useful study that is still taking place in different fields like health care and
medicine, industrial setups through the negotiators in their process of bargaining. Particularly in
the field of medical science, cardiovascular diseases have shown a great scope for the application
of this therapy of positive emotion. Patients who are suffering from different kinds of heart
diseases are often shown different video clips showing the elements of fear and tension along
with some clips showing happy and neutral moments as well. The doctors then record the kinds
of reactions or the emotions that are being shown by these people. Green et al. (2017) have
suggested that the positive emotions have been seen to create a very strong or a satisfying impact
on the minds of the patents, they are capable of using this impact for a very long time and
responds to their treatment in a very proactive manner.
Positivity is one of the key factors for success in an organizational setup. Fredrickson
(2013) has suggested that positivity helps people to get proper joy, contentment, happiness and
also measure in their personal and also in their professional lives. It is because of the positive
thought that people are able to reach to the solutions of personal growth and development. This
helps the individuals to not only solve their own problems but also to find out the solutions of the
long term problems. This helps in broadening an individual's momentary mindset, and by doing
so help to build enduring personal resources. The Broaden and Build theory help in instilling the
positive emotions within the mindsets of people. As per the opinion of Fredrickson (2003),
instilling the positive emotions within the workforce of an organization is of top priority so in the
modern day organizational scenario. This helps in understanding the doubts, fears, emotions,
interests and the happiness of people. In this way, the management of the company will be able

3POSITIVITY IN LIFE AND WORK
to form a proper connection with the employees and will be able to maintain a proper open-
ended and horizontal communication system. However, it must be made sure that the employees
are able to reach out to their managers and also to each other whenever they are in any kinds of
problems. The positive motion that is exhibited by the people depends upon the ways they are
behaving. Behaving and also the different kind of ways in which they are reacting to differ my
kinds of situation. It has been seen that the physicians or the doctors who are somehow made
happy before they start any surgeries or any kinds of diagnosis or treatments are said to have
some better results. As per the opinion of Hanaysha (2016), some of the researchers and the
scholars have undertaken many different kinds of test and experiments in order to see the impact
of positive emotions or the feel-good factors on the doctors.
This experimentation was executed by giving them a bag of candies or the chocolates.
This was seen that due to this experiment the doctors were made very happy and they had a
feeling of content. It was because of this happiness that these doctors were able to carry on the
treatment of his patients in a better way (Netland, Schloetzer and Ferdows 2015). This part of the
experiment was done by distributing the candies, among the doctors and also by asking them to
think about the patients’ who are suffering from liver disorders. Thus it was seen that the doctors
who were given the candies and were asked to think about the case of liver disease were much
more successful and also fast in thinking about the treatment measures.
Content analyses revealed that physicians who felt good were faster to integrate case
information and less likely to become anchored on initial thoughts or come to premature closure
in their diagnosis. Green (2017) has also suggested that imbibing a feel-good factor or a positive
emotion within the negotiators is also very easy as it helps in getting proper and desired
outcomes. The negotiators who are given a proper feel-good factor can be able to reach out to a

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win-win situation or find out some kinds of solution measure so that they can be able to get to a
justified solution. Oades et al. (2017) have also suggested that over 20 long years of
experimentation it has been found out that people are able to work and perform better when they
have a proper positive and satisfied mindset. In other words, the positive emotions or the feel-
good factors when induced within the individuals tend to result in a more creative dynamic and
imaginative kind of output. Hanaysha (2016) has also argued in the similar context that people
might shift to a rude and also irritated mod as soon as the feel-good factor is over, this is because
the effect of the feel-good factors or the positive emotion is said to be very short lived. However,
Fredrickson (2003) has argued in the similar context that though the events or the different
occurrences that result in the positive or the feel-good factors within the individuals are short-
lived the impacts created by them are very long, enduring and also much powerful. They can
create a huge impact on the people and the places that are around the individual. A very good
example can be the sports or the different kinds of physical activity workshops that are played by
individuals. Though the physical activities or the matches like that of basketball or cricket goes
on for a very short time; like 5 to 6 hours or in some cases may be one or two days, the happiness
or the energized feel that is created within the individuals is carried on for a very long period.
This helps in imbibing a feeling of happiness and contentment within the individuals. They are
able to enjoy a healthy and happy mindset for a very long time.
By broadening the thinking and the imagination pattern, positive emotions can be
established. These in turn lead to the discovery of great ideas, actions and social bonds. For
example, happiness and playfulness helps to construct a large number of resources. For an
example, children are playing in their schools or adults enjoying a swimming session in the pool.

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Although their immediate motivations may be simply hedonistic—to enjoy the moment—they
are at the same time building physical, intellectual, psychological and social resources.
I would like to imbibe the same positive and the happy emotions within my workplace so
that I am able to stay properly connected with all the team members who are working under my
supervision. I will always try to follow the policy of rewards and recognition (Hanaysha 2016).
This will be helping in recognizing and also appreciating the hard work and the efforts that are
being put forward by the employees. As per my perception, this is one of the most important
aspects of inducing a feeling of happiness and feel good factor among the employees. This can
also be done by developing a horizontal communication system within the organization. As I
develop in the path of my career I will always try to encourage and motivate my team member so
that they can enjoy a very happy and employee friendly ambiance. I will try to follow the
transformational leadership so that a change or a transformation can be brought within the
organizational setup. This will be helping me to keep my employee happy. I am of the opinion
that in order to promote the welfare of the organization it is of utmost importance that I can keep
all my employees happy. I will develop the scheme of happy hours or the 9 to 5-hour shift
timings for the employees so that they can enjoy a flexible time shift in the office. This will also
help them to strike a proper balance between their personal and their professional lives. Thus
they will be capable of enjoying a proper work-life balance. As per the perception of Fredrickson
(2003), positivity can be infused in the work ambiance by celebrating some ordinary incidents
with great meaning and perception. I will thus follow the policy of awards and appreciation.
Even if the employees have made any ordinary achievement I will always appreciate the same.
This can make them a very simple event special. The employees will surely be very happy and
filled with gratitude if they get a proper appreciation from their managers.

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The Adaptive leadership framework
The Adaptive leadership framework must be used by the modern day leaders in their
organizational setups in order to imbibe the positive feelings and thoughts
Navigating business environments
A leader who wants to imbibe positivity within the organization will always try to keep
constant connection with all the staffs working in different parts of the organization. In order to
instill the feeling of positivity among the employees, a manager must be able to keep regular and
direct contact with all the operations going on around in the business unit.
As I want to establish myself as a successful manager in the near future, I will try to keep
proper contact with all the stakeholders of the organizations. As per my perception if I am
successful in instilling the positive thinking in the organization then they will be able to develop
a broad thinking capacity as well. This will be mutually beneficial and they will lead to better
overall productivity in the organization.
Leading with empathy
Modern leaders must be able to take care of all the interest of their employees at every
step. He has to make sure that none of the employees are suffering from any depression. Even if
they are facing any kinds of depression they must be able to reach out to their leaders in order to
share about them. An adaptive leader will understand alternative perspectives and ideas and be
able to share them with others by looking at the organization through the eyes of others.

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Learning through self-correction and reflection
An adaptive leader will have to make sure that there is a proper inclusion of all the
employees within any kinds of business decisions that are being undertaken in the organization.
It is the duty of the adaptive leader to challenge and come out from the age old and the
traditional ideas that were earlier followed in the organizational setups. Thus they will have to
come out from the age old traditional setup and encourage their employees to give some new and
innovative ideas for bringing about dynamism in their work. This helps in imbibing a feeling of
optimism within the work ambiance and the employees are assured that they can easily reach out
to their customers at the right amount of time.
Create win-win solutions
Cooperation and understanding are the two most useful tools for instilling positivity
within the organization. Positive feelings will help the negotiators to carry on with their
bargaining in a proper way. They will learn to embrace the usefulness of positivity and also use
the same in order to solve the problems. Leaders who want to imbibe a feeling of positivity and
freeness in the work environment have to make themselves approachable and get rid of their
domination over their employees.
I have been greatly influenced by the theory of the broaden-and-build theory of positive
emotions. I will ensure that I am being able to instill positive couture within all my employees.
For this reason, I have to support all the teammates at every big and small step. As their leader, I
will try to provide them all the possible support by using my best possible knowledge along with
the available resources at my disposal. Some of the methods by which one can imbibe a positive
emotion with the workplace are as follows

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Fill the minds of the employees with a positive input
Listening to music and taking very short breaks from work is one of the most important
aspects through which one can induce the positive emotions working one's workplace. This will
help in refreshing the mind from the stress and the pressure that is created due to the repeated
pressure of work. I will arrange for some small office gatherings at least once every week. On
this day all the employees will be given small goodies and asked to perform any sings, dance or
any other creative activities. These will ensure that they are capable of getting some refreshments
out of their regular work pressure. This small song and dance performances will be a very useful
tool for imbibing a culture of happiness and positive motion among the employees and also
within the entire workplace. This, in turn, will help the employees to work with greater potential
and an increased attention level.

9POSITIVITY IN LIFE AND WORK
Being nice to other colleagues
Netland, Schloetzer and Ferdows (2015) has suggested that being nice to the workers o a
regular basis one of the best and useful practices that will help the managers to imbibe a feeling
of optimism and feel good factor within the workplace. The cycle of generosity and kindness
must be followed within each and every work organization. I will make it a point to maintain a
polite and helpful nature while I work in any company. As I want to establish myself as a very
successful manager in the future I will have to keep all the employees happy.
As per the opinion of Light and Harvey (2017) negativity until it seems overwhelming.
Be nice to other people and watch them pay it forward. Thus it is evident that in order to imbibe
a feeling of positivity and understanding within the workplace it is of utmost importance for the
managers or the supervisors to meet and greet all the co-workers with a smile. It is evident from
the scholarly studies and the experimentations of the Journal of Happiness Studies that if people
do anything out of happiness and kindness then they will be driven by the same urge to do it
again. Thus this once again proves that though the positive emotions stay for a short time their
impact stays for a very long time and it keeps on inspiring people to do some good and positive
work for repeated times in their lives. I will try to develop many skill training and development
program for my teammates so that they can work over their skill gaps and develop the right kind
of competency that is needed. If it becomes difficult for the employees to cope up in the work
ambiance I will personally arrange for someone to one session so that they can reach out to me
whenever necessary.

10POSITIVITY IN LIFE AND WORK
Set your personal goals
Setting personal goals and having a clear mission statement is of utmost importance for
imbibing a feeling of positivity within the workplace. Setting goals will help the individuals to
move forward in a well planned and step by step manner. I will be following some personal goals
like
 keeping the employees happy
 Establishing a good, free-flowing and horizontal communication system
 To get rid of the anger issue and the lack of patience
 Arrange for some short recreational and refreshing breaks within the scheduled office
works
 Play some light, refreshing soothing music in the background of the workplace
There are some definite indicators of positive emotions. They are as follows
Joy
As per the theory of positive thoughts, joy is one of the most important aspects that must
be instilled within the individuals so that they can be guided by a feeling of optimism and
kindness. The process of free activation, which is known as “aimless, unasked-for readiness
to engage in whatever interaction presents itself” (Rafferty and Minbashian 2018). I will
always try to create this feeling of joy within the individuals. This will be helping them to give a
huge amount of input and potential for doing the work. As per my perception if employees can
enjoy the work they are doing they will be able to get rid of their doubts, fears, tensions and also
the queries. This will help them in taking up additional responsibilities and they will be able to
continue working in a better way.

11POSITIVITY IN LIFE AND WORK
Gratitude
Team building and team spirit are the important and useful tools that just be used by all
the managers or the company supervisors so that they can make their employees happy and
thankful towards each other. I will be engaging all the colleagues and the team members in some
group-based activities. This will ensure that they are being able to understand the effort that is
often out by one team members for supporting the other. The joy will be transferred to gratitude
when the employees are able to realize that they owe their success to the joint and the
collaborative efforts of others. For an instance of the one employee might be unavailable due to
some emergency at their homes. In such cases, the other employees will be helping to meet up
with his absence and also share the burden of his work. Thus this employee must know how to
be thankful towards the effort that has been rendered by the other employees.
Serenity
As per the opinion of Kim et al. (2017) serenity is a feel good and optimistic feeling that
people have when they are enjoying a very comfortable position. In other words, the employees
working in any organization have to be comfortable and enjoy their work. If they suffer from any
kinds of negativities or any kinds of problems the employees will not be able to work properly.
They will suffer from mental depression and will not be able to concentrate upon any work. This
will make them de-motivated. Thus I will always try to fill the work ambiance with comfort and
happiness so that all my team members are able to work freely and also support each other.

12POSITIVITY IN LIFE AND WORK
Interest
Encountering mysterious and challenging work is also very useful for imbibing an
interest within the individuals. Thus it is really very important for the managers to make sure that
they are using some tactics to train their employees for taking up the tough worlds that fall out of
their domains or their areas of expertise. In order to instill the feeling of positivity within the
workforce, it is essential that the employees are being exposed to many tough challenges. Thus I
will try to reshuffle the employees from one team to the other so that they can come out of their
comfort zones and can develop a very open and positive mindset. This will be helping them to
take up all the very tough challenges. They will be able to get motivated knowing that the
management considers them capable of accepting the difficult challenges
Hope
Hope is an abstract feeling that helps in filling the minds of individuals with positivity
and the zeal of facing challenges. The durable resources it builds include optimism and resilience
to adversity. As per the opinion of (Geue 2018), hope is usually seen to dire in case of the dire
and the tough situations. Thus as a manager in the near future, I will always try to induce a faith
or a hope within my teammates. I will be rendering them complete support so that they can deal
with any kinds of tough challenges that are arising in front of them
Love
This is one of the most strong and essential forms of positive emotion that can be created
within an individual. This is because I believe that compulsion and excessive rate of strictness
will not be helping to take proper care of the employees. I will have to help them by giving them

13POSITIVITY IN LIFE AND WORK
not only the professional but also moral support. Social bonds and the community building are of
utmost importance so that people can be guided by a feeling of joy and optimism.
Inspiration
As per the opinion of (Oades et al. 2017), inspiration is one of the most essential and
helpful tools that can be used for motivating the employees and also for filling them with the
feeling of optimism. In order to help the employees with a proper feel-good factor and positivity,
I have to make sure that I am being able to inspire them and also give them encouragement. I
will always try to do something good and positive so that all the employees are able to get some
kinds of inspiration from the same. If they are witnessing something good and motivating in
front of them, they will be always motivated and inspired to do something good.
As per the opinion of Kim et al. (2017), there are some kinds of resources that must be used by
the managers if the companies are to fulfill their work ambiance with a proper kind of energy
and vigor. In order to fill the employees and the work environment with long term positive
feelings, the managers have to use the following resources
 Psychological resources –the development of resilience and optimism and of a greater
sense of identity
 physical resources –improved strength, and cardiovascular health
 intellectual resources – enhanced problem-solving skills and a better ability to learn new
information
 social resources – strengthening of existing bonds and new connections made

14POSITIVITY IN LIFE AND WORK
I will always try to use the four resources to ensure that all the employees are getting a proper
kind of positive feeling within oneself. As per the opinion of Light and Harvey (2017), game
playing skills or the game playing strategy is of utmost importance as it helps in developing a
positive approach within the minds and the body of the individuals. Different physical activities
are often undertaken like swimming, yoga, jogging and others for combating mental depression
and feelings of isolation. However, these physical activities do not last longer. They are only
continued for a specific time period and are then stopped. However the positive impact that is
caused on the health remains for a very long time. Avery good example was to interview the
people during a very happy period like in the early months of 2001 and also during a very sad
period that is after the learned that after September 11. It was noticed by the researchers that
naturally, the people showed some feelings of anger and negativity after going through some
kinds of fearful or terrorist activities. However, there were still some people who were capable of
keeping up the feeling of positivity. As per their opinion, the feeling of optimism has helped
them to maintain a very strong attitude even during the very tough and difficult times.
The undo the effect of positive emotions
As per the opinion of (Geue 2018.), the positive thoughts are capable of solving the
problem in a better and stronger way at the backdrop of the negative emotions. It has been seen
that though the people suffer from a feeling of fear or sadness after passing through some
negative situations they have shown the capability of staying strong with positivity.
Therefore, it can be said that the positive emotions do not cause any such visible positive
impact on the cardiovascular health of the patients. However, when seen or compared against the
harmful impacts caused by the negative impacts, these are said to have some really significant

15POSITIVITY IN LIFE AND WORK
impact. Thus it can be said that positive or the optimistic impacts have the undo impact on the
increasing harmful impacts on the cardiovascular system. This is of great importance in the field
of medical science because patients suffering from heart disorders or from cardiovascular
tensions will be able to get a swift recovery once they are getting the positive and the feel-good
factors from their surroundings.
Thus it can be concluded that the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions is of
great importance in the current work scenario. As the rate of competition is increasing day by
day the amount of work pressure over the employees are also rapidly increasing. Thus it is the
duty of the managers and the company supervisors to make sure that they are taking proper care
of their employees by guiding them with the feeling of positivity. It has been seen that though
positive emotions stay for a very short time, they make a very strong and long-lasting impact.
Thus it is the prior duty of all the managers to make sure that they are inspiring and motivating
their employs with positive support.

16POSITIVITY IN LIFE AND WORK
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