Positive Psychology in the Workplace

The Positivity Ratio
By Lisa Sansom

You may have heard of a "magic" 3 to 1 positivity ratio - or this may be the first time you are hearing about it. However, this positivity ratio can be very important for you personally and professionally, so let me talk a bit about what it is and how you can implement it.

The 3:1 positivity ratio is based on research by Barbara Fredrickson and she writes about it in her book Positivity. The essence is that for every one negative emotion, we should experience and cultivate three positive emotions in order to flourish. People who are depressed tend to have ratios that are closer to 1:1 - not even more negatives than positives, but they experience about the same number of each. People who are flourishing, in their lives overall, tend to experience 3:1 at a minimum, and possibly more.

Why is this?

First of all, negative emotions tend to be more weighty. When you look back on your life, it is likely easier to remember the down times, and those memories can bring you down again. It is less easy to remember the joyful and exuberant times, and when you do remember those high points, the current emotion you experience may be more akin to satisfaction or contentment - not the highs that you lived before.

Also, negative emotions tend to last longer than positive emotions. This is a result of the way our brains are wired - it's not right or wrong, it just is. Negative emotions stay with us longer, and so have a greater impact on us.

Positive emotions tend to be more fleeting, especially in their highest, most energetic states. People can stay in a state of contentment for a while, but probably not in a state of ecstatic joy.

All of this means that for every one negative emotion, you should actively try to experience or cultivate three positive emotions to counteract the downward spiral that could result otherwise.

This 3:1 ratio is a mathematical average - you should also be aware that in marriages, for example, research is showing that a 5:1 ratio is a better predictor of health and longevity. In the workplace, high-performance teams track at 6:1.

So what does this mean for you? Two things:

1. Actively cultivate more positive emotion. Barbara Fredrickson's website has some links and tools for you to assess your current ratio. See http://www.positivityratio.com/

2. Refocus your attention on the good events that do happen. You may not need to actively create new positive experiences, but give your attention to the positive events that are naturally occurring around you. This will also boost your positivity ratio.