Chapter 3

[Eric]

Chapter 3 asks What is Positivity?

Take time to learn about the Ten Forms of Positivity:
1. Joy
2. Gratitude
3. Serenity
4. Interest
5. Hope
6. Pride
7.Amusement
8. Inspiration
9. Awe
10. LOVE

Thinking Makes it So.
There is power in the questions you ask yourself. You can turn on positivity with the questions you ask yourself.
What's going right for me right now?
What aspect of my current circumstances might I view as a gift to be treasured?
How does it benefit me or others?

Oddly the simple act of explaining why a good thing is good can zap your positivity. Just accept it. Unexplained positivity lasts longer than than positivity we analyze until we fully understand it.

Making small changes in the ways you appreciate and frame the events of your day can turn positivity on.

I will develop a SMART goal. Specific Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Sensitive.
I will measure my Positivity Ratio today. http://www.positivityratio.com
I will attempt to set aside 2 minutes each morning at 7 AM for the next week and ask the question: What's going right for me right now?
I will select and explore one of the ten forms of positivity mindfully throughout the day.
I will measure my Positivity Ratio at the end of the week. http://www.positivityratio.com

Will you join me?

[Donna]

Yeah, sure I’m “in” for an AM positivity reflection (do that in AM church or yoga anyhow) and do a positivity ratio test weekly with you…

Only I might do mine each night as Dr. Fredrickson suggests, because I think maybe there is value in using the language of the tests to reflect each day?

Admittedly, I have yet to finish chapter 3, so reserve the right to change my mind here!

[Donna]

So the positivity ratio hovers around the same daily for myself, although circumstances and relationships are constantly changing for me.

More I do this, the more a weekly checking of the ratio makes sense after all if I am looking for improvement. After a few days of doing this it reminds me of “weighing yourself” on a daily basis. People doing that are often discouraged because, unless one had a dramatic change (like a major event or illness), one can’t be expecting change day-to-day to be major unless it is an “outlier” event.

However, maybe that is Dr. Fredrickson’s point? Maybe we are looking over weeks at the ratio to get a TRUE baseline, and from there then we can work to see differences?

[Donna]

One of the things funny in the book is she looks at “evil twins and cousins” in this chapter.

Gratitude has an “evil twin” that is “indebtedness”.

Dr. Fredrickson said in this chapter “Gratitude comes when we appreciate a gift…gives back freely…doesn’t play by the rules.”
Than she goes in to discuss the movie “pay it forward”, other gems in the chapter were about serenity (although I disagree with some of her about this).

She also got into Pride’s “evil cousins” which are shame and guilt.

Any opinions on this chapter’s contents as she frames the topics?

We could get into health/socioeconomic issues of equity in terms of some of her discussion.

According to the “Hierarchy of Needs” put forth by the original “Positivity psychologist” Abraham Maslow (my understanding is positive psychology movement piggy-backs off his theory) who basically put forth the idea that we need to have basic PHYSIOLOGIC & SAFETY needs met before going after the “serenity” she speaks of.