It’s good for our overall health to laugh and give thanks often, find moments of peace, and to practice joyfulness.

Why do we have positive emotions? What purpose other than making us “feel good” do they serve – especially as they relate to survival of the species? The survival value of negative emotions seems fairly obvious: Fear helps us avoid attackers, and disgust alerts us to poisons, and so forth. But what possible survival or evolutionary good are joy, contentment, gratitude, and curiosity?

University of North Carolina psychologist Barbara Fredrickson studies the behavior of young patas monkeys, who love to play tag on the savannahs of West Africa, as both an example and metaphor for her “broaden and build” theory of positive emotions. When they are being chased, young patas monkeys will  fling themselves on to saplings, which bend and catapult them in unexpected directions.

The young monkeys are engaging in what appears to be pointless fun – just for the sheer joy of it. In fact, their joy and play are creating a reserve of body memories that later could keep them alive. In adulthood, when fleeing a predator, they will fling themselves on to saplings, which bend and catapult them to escape.

Fredrickson’s theory is positive emotions are life savers. Fredrickson believes these emotions increase cognitive flexibility, conquer harmful negativity, and create a reservoir of resilience that helps us cope with life’s challenges. She has published her studies in a new book, Positivity (Crown Publishers).

Fredrickson used lab techniques to demonstrate that positive thinkers are better able to see hidden patterns and make connections. Those feeling angry or fearful are too narrowly focused on details to see the big picture. Nothing new to Rapid Eye Technicians or others who work with emotions.

Fredrickson has shown that these moments of positivity have an accumulative effect over time, breaking down the barriers between self and others, and building trust. Positivity creates open-mindedness, which in turn sparks even more good feelings – creating an upward spiral of emotions. This builds for the future: Over time, those with more positive moments become more mindful and attentive, more accepting and purposeful, and more socially connected – and healthier. This is the hidden and unanticipated benefit of laughter and peacefulness and thankfulness, according to Fredrickson’s studies.

It’s good for our overall health to laugh and give thanks often, find moments of peace, and to practice joyfulness. It makes sense, alright. And Fredrickson’s studies demonstrate how these positive emotions help us better survive – just like the playful sapling springing of the patas monkey youths. We literally save our own lives over time by practicing positive emotions.

Even pretending positive emotions has value. For example, smiling for no reason can sometimes cause our minds to come up with a reason to smile – and evoke positive emotions. I think Fredrickson has demonstrated that this is a worthwhile exercise on a number of levels.

And the showing of positive emotions is contageous. Try smiling more often when you’re around others – you’ll no doubt find that others will tend to copy you – for no reason other than that they saw you smile. It’s an upward SOCIAL progression as well as a personal one. Want to make your spousal relationship work better? Experiment with smiling before you engage in conversation – even when your conversation will surely be “negative”. A heart-felt smile beforehand will tend to set you up for a more positive outcome. Try it!