A unidimensional emotional life—which generates an affective experience that is either positive or negative—directly communicates whether our personal interests and concerns are met or not.

Positive and negative emotions are not an “either or.” They can coexist. I can be very grateful for things in my world and also very sad about some of the things in my world.

While negative emotions often narrow focus and restrict the brain’s ability to take in context, positive feelings appear to create an optimal state for learning.

Savoring positive emotions is not about feeling good all the time. Rather, it’s about letting the good moments land fully in your awareness, especially when life is challenging.

More information: Positive Emotion Enhances Memory by Promoting Memory Reinstatement across Repeated Learning, JNeurosci (2025). DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0009-25.2025 ...

Meaning is not only positive; on the contrary, a truly meaningful life is one filled with all types of experiences and emotions, including those we find disagreeable.

1. Positive events We tend to fixate on the negative. So, try this: Switch your focus to something good today. It could be a beautiful sky, a delicious bite of fresh fruit, or a call from a friend ...

In a collaboration between Hangzhou Normal University and Nanjing Normal University, Xi Jia led a study to explore whether emotions shape how well people remember meaningless, or neutral, images.

It’s part of my job as a therapist to teach people how to manage their emotions. And as I tell my patients, it’s possible to honor legitimate sources of pain and still recognize that moments ...

With all that’s happening, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the negativity in the world. Our emotional state is important at work. Positive emotions transform our minds and increase our ability to ...

In a collaboration between Hangzhou Normal University and Nanjing Normal University, Xi Jia led a study to explore whether emotions shape how well people remember meaningless, or neutral, images.