What's Your Positivity Ratio? Increasing it Leads to Greater Wellbeing & Success

Today it is especially easy to be skeptical, cynical, frustrated, and even angry. For those of us in healthcare, these are particularly stressful, turbulent, and uncertain times. There is no denying that negative emotions have a place, even a valuable one, in our lives. They frequently fuel action and galvanize efforts to overcome complex problems. Having negative thoughts and experiences is part of the human experience and are part of the common reality we all share. That said, we need to be aware when negativity becomes a dominant theme in our day-to-day lives. When skepticism, cynicism, frustration, and anger flare too often, we can find ourselves deep in the onslaught of mental, emotional, and physical ill-effects that significantly hinder our wellbeing and opportunities for success. Research supports that it isn't the experience of negativity that harms us, rather it's how regularly we go there and how long we stay there that does the real damage. [1]

A meta-analysis of nearly 300 different scientific studies of positivity collectively tested more than 275,000 people. It concluded that positivity produces success in life as much as it reflects success in life. Whether success was measured as a satisfying marriage, a higher salary, or better health, it was obvious that positivity mattered. [2]

What Can I Gain By Choosing Positivity?

• Positivity Builds Psychological Strengths: We create more space for optimism, resilience, open-mindedness, acceptance of others and difficult challenges, and that allows us to be more driven by purpose
• Positivity Builds Good Mental Habits: We are open to the moment, able to appreciate more of our surroundings and those in it. We become better at savoring the good in our lives
• Positivity Builds Social Connections: A greater degree of openness allows us to connect more fully with those around us; energizes our interpersonal relationships with fresh attention and a greater willingness to listen; and opens us up to experience gratitude. This allows us to appreciate others which, in turn, strengthens relationships and social connections
• Positivity Builds Physical Health: Positivity is associated with lower levels of stress-related hormones and higher levels of growth-related hormones, endogenous dopamine, opioids, & oxytocin while also enhancing the immune system via a diminished inflammatory response to stress

We need to choose to build positivity in our lives if we are to experience its benefits. Negativity has an attention-grabbing quality to it. We are literally hardwired to notice and take note of negative aspects of our surroundings. This is a protective mechanism that we are innately programmed with, but we can train ourselves to transcend this proclivity toward negativity. And, quite frankly, our livelihoods, success, and wellbeing depend on our ability to choose positivity.

So how does one determine their positivity ratio? It is your frequency of positivity over any given time span, divided by your frequency of negativity over that same period. Mathematically, the ratio is simply expressed as P/N. If your P/N ratio is low (meaning your thoughts are predominately negative in any given time period), you are likely feeling drained, tired, perhaps even exhausted and left feeling that life has been getting the best of you. (Goodness knows that even I have wallowed on this side of the spectrum before!) On the other hand, if your P/N ratio is high (meaning your thoughts are predominantly positive) then you are more likely to feel creative, uplifted, resilient and vital. For the purposes of determining our positivity ratio, we should think of negativity as those thoughts that evoke a sense or feeling of anger, frustration, aggression, or anxiety. And positivity as thoughts which evoke a sense or feeling of calm, peace, serenity, joy, gratitude, interest, inspiration, awe or love. It's the feelings evoked by our thoughts that matter most in determining what qualifies as a positive or negative experience. When you go to determine your positivity ratio, it's best to take an even-handed assessment of your thoughts and feelings over several days or even weeks, since a snapshot of one day in your life is not an accurate indicator of your overall positivity ratio. Let's be honest, we have good days and bad days, so we want to look at a large sampling to generate an accurate picture of our overall positivity.

"...we humans are not static. We're either on a positive trajectory or a negative one. Either we're growing in goodness, becoming more creative and resilient, or we're solidifying our bad habits, becoming more stagnant and rigid."

To be on an overall positive trajectory in your life, aim for a positivity ratio of at least 3 to 1. This means that for every negative emotional experience you have, you should experience at least three genuine positive emotional experiences that uplift you. Research supports that a positivity ratio of 3:1 is the tipping point between a life that languishes or one that flourishes. Further, depression is linked to a positivity ratio of 1:1 while those who experience the greatest degrees of wellbeing and success have ratios of at least 3:1 or greater. Additionally, research indicates that when it comes to successful relationships and marriages, ratios of 5:1 are most strongly linked with happiness, overall wellbeing and longevity of partnership. [3]

Whether you interpret an event as positive or negative has everything to with what you think. All emotions arise from how you interpret events and ideas as they unfold. Positive emotions emerge when you allow yourself to take a moment to find the good and whether, once you've found it, you allow it to grow by being willing to fully experience it. I said "experience it", but resist the urge to overthink it. (We are so good, too good, at doing this!) It's our dependence on thinking and over-thinking that can kill positivity before it blooms. Additionally, when we are overburdened with worry, doubt, and demands (alongside a constant stream of media messages), it accumulates and functionally hinders our ability to focus on others, celebrate the simple wonders of life, and we ultimately miss the extraordinary events that occur right before our eyes. We simply aren't open to seeing them; so we don't see them. When we turn positivity on we are more open to seeing others, our patients, colleagues, even ourselves and our lives, for the magnificent wonders they truly are.

For a positivity boost, ask yourself: What's right about my current circumstances? What makes me fortunate to be here? What aspect of my current circumstances might I view as a gift to be treasured? How does this situation present a benefit for me or others?

Life moves on and time moves on. How you move with it is up to you. If you want to create a better life, it isn't so much about searching or clinging to positivity endlessly (which would be near impossible, no matter how hard one tried); rather, it's accepting the transient nature of thoughts and feelings and simply choosing to increase the frequency of positive thoughts over negative ones.

Just as quantity matters in positivity creation, so does quality. The quality of your positivity must be authentic. Studies show that fake smiles and disingenuous acts of kindness that are forced are just as damaging to your health as anger. In challenging times, ask yourself these questions to boost your positivity ratio in a way that is authentic and real for you:

What's good here? What opportunities does this challenge offer me? What can I celebrate in this situation? What hidden gifts does this circumstance uncover, for me or others?

It takes a little self-awareness to identify your positivity ratio and again some self-awareness to shift your thought patterns. If you notice negativity is running rampant, then the increase in your overall wellbeing will be well worth your effort. The gift of looking for truth, beauty, and goodness in the world is a gift that pays you ten-fold. I've experienced both the lows and highs of the positivity ratio, and I don't intend to slide back, so I am committed to doing the work to stay high on positivity. I know once you experience the difference you will want to do the work to stay positive, too. Our positivity ratio impacts every aspect of our lives and influences every relationship we have, and if you're a physician or surgeon it can impact patient satisfaction and ultimately patient outcomes.[4] There is no shortage of important reasons why we should care about our own positivity ratios. In as little as three months of effort, you can learn to re-wire your brain so positivity won't be a choice you have to consciously make; rather you'll be hardwired for it. Which means it will continue grow, as will your happiness, wellbeing, and success.

There is much to discover about the link between our thoughts and emotions and their impact on our lives. The more we know, the more we can influence and guide our lives in the direction we choose. It's my hope that you will be inspired to experiment with positivity to broaden your mind and build the best future for yourself, your patients, the people you work with and live with, and those you love.

Resources:

1. Fredrickson, B. (2009), Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive (New York: Crown Publishers).
2. Ibid., p.27-28
3. Ibid., p131
4. Cooper, W.O., Guillamondegui, O., & Hines, O.J., (2017) "Use of Unsolicited Patient Observations to Identify Surgeons With Increased Risk for Postoperative Complications", JAMA Surgery: Accessed on Feb. 16, 2017: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2601320