How Positive Affect Combats Stress

“Positive affect” refers to one’s propensity to experiencepositive emotionsand interact with others and with life’s challenges in a positive way. Conversely, “negative affect” involves experiencing the world in a more negative way, feeling negative emotions and more negativity in relationships and surroundings.

These two states are independent of one another, though related; someone can be high in positive and negative affect, high in just one, or low in both. Both states affect our lives in many ways, particularly when it comes to stress and how we handle it.

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Positive Affect and Stress

Positive affect can bring lower levels of stress on its own. It’s not just that those who are optimistic and successful extraverts experience positive affect because they have so much to be happy about, and they just happen to be less stressed.

The Broaden and Build Theory

Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson has extensively researched the effects of positive affect on stress and has come up with a model of how positive affect interacts with resilience, known as the “broaden and build” theory of positive psychology.

Fredrickson and others have found that when we give ourselves a lift in mood, this can expand (orbroaden)our perspective so that we notice more possibilities in our lives, and this enables us to more easily take advantage of (tobuildupon) these resources.

These resources include the following:

These increased resources can lead to greater resilience toward stress. Basically, it can work as an “upward spiral” of positivity where positive affect begets more resilience toward stress and more positive affect.

Unfortunately, negative affect can work in the same way. This is why it really helps to cultivate positive moods and pleasure in life; it’s not just something that will lead to some good feelings at the moment, but it can be a path to less stress and happier life in general.

It is well worth the effort of increasing behaviors that lead to positive affect, and fortunately, increasing positive affect is quite simple if you make the effort.

How to Increase Your Positive Affect

Positive affect can be developed and cultivated. While affectivity is somewhat inborn, meaning that some people are simply born with a greater propensity for being in a good mood as part of their personality, there are many things you can do to get into the habit if experiencing positive affect more often in your life, and making your good moods even better.

Many of these things involve changing our thought patterns and changing the experiences we put ourselves in. Here are some of the things you can do to increase your experience of positive affect.

Engage in Hobbies

Many of us don’t have as much time for hobbies as we’d like, but it’s important to make time. This can not only increase your positive affect, but it can also take your mind off of what may be stressing you, and leave you with a sense of accomplishment.

Why Are Hobbies Important for Stress Relief?

Exercise—And Make It Fun

Physical activity is a powerful stress reliever as well, and there are so many forms of exercise you can engage in, you can find several activities that are fun as well. Dancing, yoga, cycling, walking with a friend? Think about what might be fun for you, and do it!

Indulge in Life’s Pleasures

If you plan pleasurable experiences into your life, you can be constantly increasing your experience of positive affect and the benefits that come with it. Just remember to add new pleasures on a regular basis so you don’t become bored.

Maintain a Gratitude Journal

Research shows that writing about what you are grateful for in your life can bring about greater levels of positive affect, and this benefit lasts for quite a while.

Want to Relieve Stress ASAP? Write in a Gratitude Journal

Practice Loving-Kindness Meditation

Meditation, in general, is great for stress management, but theloving-kindness meditationis a particularly sweet treat, especially in that it can increase your levels of positive affect and help you feel less stressed.

Remember and Savor Positive Experiences

Research confirms what you probably instinctively know already: that actively savoring positive experiences can prolong the happiness you experience from them.

Tips for Savoring Life

2 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fredrickson BL.The role of positive emotions in positive psychology. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Am Psychol. 2001;56(3):218-26. PMID: 11315248Garland EL, Fredrickson B, Kring AM, Johnson DP, Meyer PS, Penn DL.Upward spirals of positive emotions counter downward spirals of negativity: insights from the broaden-and-build theory and affective neuroscience on the treatment of emotion dysfunctions and deficits in psychopathology. Clin Psychol Rev. 2010;30(7):849-64. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.002Additional ReadingGarland EL, Fredrickson B, Kring AM, Johnson DP, Meyer PS, Penn DL.Upward spirals of positive emotions counter downward spirals of negativity: insights from the broaden-and-build theory and affective neuroscience on the treatment of emotion dysfunctions and deficits in psychopathology.Clin Psychol Rev.2010;30(7):849-64. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.002Qian XL, Yarnal CM, Almeida DM.Does leisure time moderate or mediate the effect of daily stress on positive affect? An examination using eight-day diary data.J Leis Res. 2014;46(1):106-124. doi:10.1080/00222216.2014.11950315Schiffrin HH, Falkenstern M.The impact of affect on resource development: Support for the broaden-and-build model.North American Journal of Psychology.2012;14(3):569-584.

2 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fredrickson BL.The role of positive emotions in positive psychology. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Am Psychol. 2001;56(3):218-26. PMID: 11315248Garland EL, Fredrickson B, Kring AM, Johnson DP, Meyer PS, Penn DL.Upward spirals of positive emotions counter downward spirals of negativity: insights from the broaden-and-build theory and affective neuroscience on the treatment of emotion dysfunctions and deficits in psychopathology. Clin Psychol Rev. 2010;30(7):849-64. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.002Additional ReadingGarland EL, Fredrickson B, Kring AM, Johnson DP, Meyer PS, Penn DL.Upward spirals of positive emotions counter downward spirals of negativity: insights from the broaden-and-build theory and affective neuroscience on the treatment of emotion dysfunctions and deficits in psychopathology.Clin Psychol Rev.2010;30(7):849-64. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.002Qian XL, Yarnal CM, Almeida DM.Does leisure time moderate or mediate the effect of daily stress on positive affect? An examination using eight-day diary data.J Leis Res. 2014;46(1):106-124. doi:10.1080/00222216.2014.11950315Schiffrin HH, Falkenstern M.The impact of affect on resource development: Support for the broaden-and-build model.North American Journal of Psychology.2012;14(3):569-584.

Fredrickson BL.The role of positive emotions in positive psychology. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Am Psychol. 2001;56(3):218-26. PMID: 11315248Garland EL, Fredrickson B, Kring AM, Johnson DP, Meyer PS, Penn DL.Upward spirals of positive emotions counter downward spirals of negativity: insights from the broaden-and-build theory and affective neuroscience on the treatment of emotion dysfunctions and deficits in psychopathology. Clin Psychol Rev. 2010;30(7):849-64. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.002

Fredrickson BL.The role of positive emotions in positive psychology. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Am Psychol. 2001;56(3):218-26. PMID: 11315248

Garland EL, Fredrickson B, Kring AM, Johnson DP, Meyer PS, Penn DL.Upward spirals of positive emotions counter downward spirals of negativity: insights from the broaden-and-build theory and affective neuroscience on the treatment of emotion dysfunctions and deficits in psychopathology.Clin Psychol Rev.2010;30(7):849-64. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.002Qian XL, Yarnal CM, Almeida DM.Does leisure time moderate or mediate the effect of daily stress on positive affect? An examination using eight-day diary data.J Leis Res. 2014;46(1):106-124. doi:10.1080/00222216.2014.11950315Schiffrin HH, Falkenstern M.The impact of affect on resource development: Support for the broaden-and-build model.North American Journal of Psychology.2012;14(3):569-584.

Qian XL, Yarnal CM, Almeida DM.Does leisure time moderate or mediate the effect of daily stress on positive affect? An examination using eight-day diary data.J Leis Res. 2014;46(1):106-124. doi:10.1080/00222216.2014.11950315

Schiffrin HH, Falkenstern M.The impact of affect on resource development: Support for the broaden-and-build model.North American Journal of Psychology.2012;14(3):569-584.

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Press Play for Advice On Resilience#

Positive Affect and Stress#

The Broaden and Build Theory#

How to Increase Your Positive Affect#

Engage in Hobbies#

Exercise—And Make It Fun#

Indulge in Life’s Pleasures#

Maintain a Gratitude Journal#

Practice Loving-Kindness Meditation#

Remember and Savor Positive Experiences#