Positive emotions are more healthy than negative emotions

RedEyedAbyss

Do anger and hatred qualify as positive emotions if I think I'm taking pleasure in them?

LouieW

I am not sure about this, but I do not think that whether an emotion is positive or negative depends upon if you take pleasure in them. I mean, I think that in a certain warped way, people can and do take pleasure in anger and hatred. Still, I feel like what sets them apart as negative emotions is how they tend to harm other people. While I could certainly see how a happy person could live in his or her own little bubble, I think that spreading happiness is unlikely to result in harm to others, whereas spreading hatred definitely would.

Plus, from a societal perspective, I believe that  if people are happy with each other they are unlikely to take things from others in order to try to find that sense of happiness. Essentially, I might label anger and hatred as negative emotions solely based on how they tend to lead to conflict as people try to reconcile them with their own situations or attempt to take them out on others in order to feel better.

Also, I think part of determining if an emotion is positive or negative is related to how it affects a person. Basically, I feel like it is fair to call sadness, anger, and hatred negative emotions because they tend to make you think or do things that are rather irrational to yourself or to others.

RedEyedAbyss

"Basically, I feel like it is fair to call sadness, anger, and hatred negative emotions because they tend to make you think or do things that are rather irrational to yourself or to others."

Point. Though what if you somehow manage to be fully conscious of your emotions so that you can experience them, but not act out on them?

LouieW

Point. Though what if you somehow manage to be fully conscious of your
emotions so that you can experience them, but not act out on them?

Then I suppose you negate a good portion of what I said. I am not sure how common or possible that kind of reaction is though.

Still, I think that it is pretty tough to feel two contradictory emotions at once (i.e. being happy about something or someone and also hating it). In situations where that does not happen, I think that being full of rage or hate disables one's ability to spread happiness or kindness with others. Even if you might not be doing something with your anger for example, I still think it serves as barrier to encouraging others to be happy.

This might just be me, but I think that it is tough to smile or laugh convincingly when one is angry and even if one can do kind things despite being in a bad mood, I feel like it is much harder to do so and the effect of such actions are minimized.

Bob

Yes.

DonZabu

>positive emotions:

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