Negative Emotions

Being happy is what make life worth living and no one wants to be angry, lonely, or hurt, but without the all other emotions, one does not truly experience all that life is. If a person only focuses on being happy, when those difficult or challenging moments occur, he or she will not be able to fully protect his or herself or be able to grow from experiences such as these. Even though happiness is the emotion that most people seek and want to feel, other emotions are just as crucial to the well­being of a person’s life because they can lead to better thinking and being more determined.

Negative emotions can cause a person to process information more thoroughly as opposed to being in a happier, lighter state of mind. In her article, “ Don’t

In this time of need, one would generally feel several emotions including hurt, loneliness, anger, and more. Sharon Begley, writer from Newsweek and author of the article, “Happiness: Enough Already,” critiques the newfound “happiness psychologists” and their views on the topic of happiness. She acknowledges this same scenario for, “Jess Decourcy Hinds, an English teacher, (who) recounted how, after her father died, friends pressed her to distract herself from her profound sadness and sense of loss” (Begley 454). Being in this situation is not desirable but is an event everyone has or eventually will face in the course his or her life. Being told to just ignore or distract themselves from the other emotions they are experiencing is not helpful as this person’s friends may believe. Even though these feelings are painful and sometime heart­wrenching, they are better to experience rather than ignore. Feeling these emotions can help the person to cope with the loss and eventually move on; experiencing them allows one to let go easier than if he or she simply bottles them up and pretends to be okay. Even if being sad makes other people uncomfortable and sad as well, people should try to face these emotions as they may lead to a better sense of closure and eventual

P. Seligman, Acadia C. Parks, and Tracy Steen, authors of the article, “A Balanced Psychology And A Full Life,” focus on the benefits of “positive psychology.” Psychologists on the “pro positive psychology” movement are working towards a mental make­up that, “is an integrated, balanced field that integrates research on positive states and traits with research on repairing weakness as well as nurturing strengths” and are creating “a balanced psychology” (Seligman et al. 420). Being in a negative mood can be more beneficial to the mind of a person than one many think, but it does not mean that everyone should only be focused on being negative. As compared to opinions of the psychologists that are not on the “positive psychology bandwagon” who believe chasing happiness causes a person to be less happy. One should experience all emotions from happiness, sadness, anger, hurt, contentment and so on. Just like the type of psychology psychologists are chasing, a person should experience a balance in his or her