A Positive Attitude Boosts Resilience

Learning to be joyful and positive for at least a few moments on a daily basis can assist people in dealing with challenging situations, according to a new study.

Psychologists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill asked 86 participants to submit daily "emotion reports" for a month.

They found that those who were able to cultivate a positive attitude each day by focusing on happy moments demonstrated better overall resilience against challenges.

Lead researcher Barbara Fredrickson said the findings, which appear in the June issue of the journal Emotion, show that positivity aids personal growth.

"Those small moments let positive emotions blossom, and that helps us become more open," she explained. "That openness then helps us build resources that can help us rebound better from adversity and stress, ward off depression and continue to grow."

But don't feel like you have to deny all negative feelings, Fredrickson cautioned, adding that the key is to balance the bad with the good.

"Participants with average and stable levels of positive emotions still showed growth in resilience even when their days included negative emotions," she said.