The Upward Spiral – The Impact of Fostering positive Emotions and an Environment of positive Social Interactions
This study by Barbara Fredrickson builds on her ‘Broaden and Build’ Theory. The impact of positive emotions on our health is by now well researched and set out in various meta-studies. This article explores the role of positive social connections and interactions on this relationship. The data generated by this research study provided clear evidence to support an upward spiral effect, with social connections serving as the link between positive emotions and health. It concludes that the strength of the positive impact is influenced by how we perceive our interactions. The more positive we feel about our social connections the more significant the impact of our positive emotions is on our health.
Organisations should play a major role in helping people generate positive emotions as well as experience positive social interactions at work. With every positive social interaction we boost our oxytocin levels which supports an increase in vagal tone, an indicator of the functioning of your vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is critical to the immune system, helps to regulate heart rate and is also a central component of a person’s social-engagement and rest-and-digest or calming system.
When we work with others we form a matrix of interactions, and the effectiveness of the output is a function of the quality of the conversations within every interaction – what is said and what is not said. We long to belong. Inclusion and promoting positive relationships at work isn’t just a nice to have, it is a performance and health imperative.
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