There are countless benefits associated with the experience of positive emotions. Life is hard, but experiencing positive emotions can become a stress-reducer, open our minds, build enduring resources, and improve our overall well-being. Negative emotions tend to narrow our thoughts to a limited set of possible actions that might be taken in response to an emotion-evoking situation (Baumgardner Crothers, p41). Positive emotions contribute to enhancing our physical, psychological, and social resources. While negative emotions may compromise our health, positive emotions can enhance our health. Multiple studies have shown how positive emotions broaden our outlook, offset negative emotions, enhance our resilience, and improve our emotional well-being (Baumgardner Crothers, p42). Men and women have been known to have about the same levels of happiness, however they differ greatly in respect to their experience of negative emotions. Women tend to express their negative emotions more than men and experience internalizing disorders.
