Positivity reveals how to re-structure your thoughts to create a more positive and flourishing life. The book includes a detailed methodology for measuring your your current positivity and a test to help you understand where you are now. In addition, Professor Fredrickson outlines and defines a mathematical ratio for effecting positive change in your life. She calls this the Positivity Ratio. The ratio of positivity to negativity turns out to be 3 to 1. The underlying research in this is fascinating and is based upon the study of evolutionary theory, nonlinear dynamic systems (chaos), and is supported by experiments. I find it particularly fascinating that both evolutionary theory and nonlinear dynamic systems are the basis for this discovery and as you will see in later blog posts these two areas of science will keep popping up in significant ways.

Professor Fredrickson spends a great deal of time describing in detail the foundation for her Positivity Ratio and the “core truths” behind why and how positivity effects our ability to ask good questions and focus outwards, to build resources for ourselves and with others, to bounce back from adversity. The Positivity Ratio (3:1) behaves as a “control parameter”, the key that determines the fate of your happiness, if you can achieve this ratio then you will flourish below this and you will experience cycles of languishing and failure.

So, how do you create a life where you experience a 3:1 positivity ratio?

The second half of the book goes into detail on how to apply the self-test and raise your positivity ratio. Here’s the positivity test:

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Positivity Self Test

Have you felt over the past twenty-four hours? (look back over the past day and, using the 0-4 scale below, indicate the greatest amount that you’ve experienced each of the following feelings.

0 = not at all
1 = a little bit
2 = moderately
3 = quite a bit
4 = extremely

1. What is the most amused, fun-loving, or silly you felt? ______
2. What is the most angry, irritated, or annoyed you felt? ______
3. What is the most ashamed, humiliated, or disgraced you felt? _______
4. What is the most awe, wonder, or amazement you felt?_________
5. What is the most contemptuous, scornful, or disdainful you felt? ________
6. What is the most disgust, distaste, or revulsion you felt? _______
7. What is the most embarrassed, self-conscious, or blushing you felt? ______
8. What is the most grateful, appreciative, or thankful you felt? _______
9. What is the most guilty, repentant, or blame-worthy you felt? ______
10. What is the most hate, distrust or suspicion you felt? ______
11. What is the most hopeful, optimistic, or encouraged you felt? _____
12. What is the most inspired, uplifted, or elevated you felt? _____
13. What is the most interested, alert, or curious you felt? ______
14. What is the most joyful, glad, or happy you felt? ______
15. What is the most love, closeness, or trust you felt? ______
16. What is the most proud, confident, or self-assured you felt? ______
17. What is the most sad, downhearted, or unhappy you felt? _______
18. What is the most scared, fearful, or afraid you felt? ______
19. What is the most serene, content, or peaceful you felt? _____
20. What is the most stressed, nervous, or overwhelmed you felt? _______

To compute your positivity ratio for the past day, follow these steps:

1. Go back and circle the ten items that reflect positivity. These are the ones that begin with the words:
- amused
- awe,
- grateful
- hopeful
- inspired
- interested
- joyful
- love
- proud
- serene
2. Go back and underline the ten items that reflect negativity. These begin with the words:
-Angry
- Ashamed
- contemptuous
- disgust
- embarrassed
- guilty
- hate
- sad
-sacred
- stressed
3. Count the number of circled positivity items that you have endorsed as 2 or higher.
4. Count the number of underlined negativity items that you have endorsed as 1 or higher
5. Calculate the ratio by dividing your positivity tally by your negativity tally. If you negativity count is zero for today, consider it instead to be 1, to sidestep the can’t divide by zeros problem. The resulting number represents your positivity ratio for today.

Obviously this is only a snap shot and your emotions are changing all the time. As Professor Fredrickson, admits this poses some difficulty for the science of emotions. One of the solutions to minimize the error is to take this test every day for two weeks at the same time of day preferably in the evening. After two weeks, count up your positive emotions, then calculate your ratio.

Professor Frederickson has also created a website (www.positivityratio.com) to help you compute your positivity ratio. The idea behind the site is to offer more tools and an easier way to track your positivity tests. You can opt in and share your data or not it’s up to you.

What I think is really interesting is that she suggests the idea of “benchmarking” your positivity. She compares it to weight loss and a scale I would argue that it is more like going through a Functional Movement Screening where you are assessed on multiple levels of fitness: – Flexibility, Balance, Core Strength, Strength, Speed, Agility, Quickness, Power

I will discuss how to do this specifically in future blog posts. The main take-away here is that you need to know “where you are” to chart any course in life: Emotional or Physical. Up until recently, there didn’t exist any science based tools quantify these things in a way that was both useful and efficient.

From Macro to Micro
Professor Frederickson argues further the two week positivity testing gives us a solid big picture view of our day to day positivity. However, we also need a daily view of how our positivity fluctuates throughout our day. To do this:

Divide your day into episodes or blocks lasting anywhere between 10 minutes and 2 hours. You will have to score yourself for each episode so it is recommended that you simplify this process by preparing your positivity test sheets before hand or use the online positivity ratio website (www.positivityratio.com). If you are interested I have created a PNF version of the positivity test for you to use.

Here’s an Example of a morning broken into episodes:

6:00 Get up and dress
6:15 Shower
6:30 Go to everyday athlete small group training class
7:30 Shower and dress for work
8:15 eat breakfast
8:30 leave for work
8:45 get subway
9:30 get to work
11:00 take a break
12:15 eat lunch

1. As before, circle the positivity items and underline the negativity items
2. Across all the episode reports you made, count the number of circled positivity items rated at 2 or higher.
3. Again, across all the episode reports, count the number of underlined negativity items rated 1 or higher.
4. Divide the day’s positive emotions by your day’s negative emotions. The resulting number gives you your positivity ratio.

To compute your positivity ratios by individual episode and locate negativity “land mines” and positivity “wellsprings”:

1. As before, circle the positivity items and underline the negativity items.
2. in each episode, count the number of circled positivity items rated at 2 or higher.
3. In each episode, count the number of underlined negativity items rated 1 or higher.
4. Divide the episode’s positive emotion tally by your episode’s negative emotion tally. (if you have a zero convert it to 1) The result will be your episode positivity ratio.
5. Using the short descriptive labels you gave to each episode, order your episodes from the least to most productive. This will give you insight into which – episodes or activities- are negative for you and will highlight the emotional details of your daily life.

Don’t be concerned if all of your ratios are below 3 to 1. It seems that 80% of the people tested were here. In fact, Professor Fredrickson argues that many people may find that they’re ratios are below 1:1 (essentially implying that they are depressed.) Having a ratio below 3:1 implies that you have a lot of untapped potential. However, if you consistently have a ratio that is less than 1:1 then she suggests that you seek support and help in getting through the challenges you face. She also reiterates that it is very common for people to suffer from some form of depression (1 in 5 people suffer from depression) and encourages you to get help if you need it.

Change your thinking and you will change your emotions

________ To be continued______________ I will continue my thoughts on Barbara Fredrickson’s book in my next post____

(Buy and Read: Barbara Fredrickson’s book: Positivity )
_____________________
Barbara Fredrickson, Professor, and Lead Researcher at University of North Carolina’s Chapel Hill Department of Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab.

PEPLab Purpose Statement

You have — within you — the fuel to thrive and to flourish,
and to leave this world in better shape than you found it.
Sometimes you tap into this fuel – other times you don’t.
But the sad fact is that most people have no idea
how to tap into this fuel or even recognize it when they do.
Where is this fuel within you?

You tap into it whenever you feel energized and excited by new ideas.
You tap into it whenever you feel at one with your surroundings, at peace.
You tap into it whenever you feel playful, creative, or silly.
You tap into it whenever you feel your soul stirred by the sheer beauty of existence.
You tap into it whenever you feel connected to others and loved.
In short, you tap into it whenever positive emotions resonate within you.
—–

The Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill exists to answer a single question: ‘What good is it to feel good?’ Our purpose is to understand and to share the full significance of positive emotions.
We have three core ideals:
• To do high-quality science
• To answer questions that matter to humanity, and
• To have fun and feel good about doing it.
Our goal is to uncover the universal recipe for human flourishing and to give this recipe as a gift to the world. Our science to date tells us that genuine positive emotions may in fact be the single most important active ingredient in this recipe for flourishing. When this ingredient is lacking, or in poor supply – people get stuck. They lose their freedom of choice. They become stagnant and painfully predictable. But when this ingredient is in ample supply – people take off. They become generative, creative, resilient, ripe with possibility and beautifully unpredictable.
Our research team is working to show how it is that being moved by positive emotions can move you forward, and not only lift you to your higher ground, but also create a world that is worth giving to our children.