Positivity

A book by Barbara Fredrickson, Positivity, was published in January this year. It suggests that developing the ability to experience positive emotions leads not only to better health but also to greater achievements.

The book is based in many years of scientific research. The author is Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina and has written and co-written many academic papers on the topic of positivity and resilience.

In an op-ed piece in the Huffington Post hof November 16 2008 Fredrickson notes that

"positive emotions … fundamentally change our biochemistry and our world views. In time they can even change who we are – helping us become better versions of ourselves".

It's a whole interesting concept, and although the research is based on individual responses it may not be a stretch to think that many employees with positive attitudes can collectively change the culture of an organization into a creative, innovative, energized environment. To further this notion, perhaps prospective employees could be asked to take the positivity ratio test as one of the assessments of recruitment.