Positive emotions at work are great for everyone - and why is that?
Photo credit to Brooke Cagle
What does science has to say about positive emotions at work? The study of positive psychology and organizational psychology look at these topics in details. Through research, we are provided with concrete evidence that positive emotions are more than just personal moods, but actual factors for positive change in a team and organisation.
What types of positive emotions are good for work?
According to Professor Barbara Fredrickson and her 15-year research program, productivity and workplace satisfaction can be enhanced with 10 positive emotions. Here we describe a few that we find particularly useful for you to have in the workplace:
Joy - joyfulness makes us want to “play” and get involved, which is particularly important for learning skills and experiential learning.
Gratitude - being grateful allows us to appreciate and be generous to others, hence we can build better social bonds and relationships at work.
Hope - Being hopeful is a great attribute to inspire optimism in dire circumstances and draw out our innovativeness to turn things around.
Amusement - bring humour into workplace eases up the seriousness, stressfulness and inspires creativity at work.
Love - A general state of love is when any positive emotions arises in a safe and interpersonal relationship. We feel the warmth and pleasantness and it further enhances social bonds.
(Fredrickson, 2013)
Broad and Build theory- What is this about?
It is natural to want pleasant and positive emotions in our daily lives, but how exactly do these emotions impact our workplace? Scientists believe that positive emotions have a “broaden and build” effect at work, and here’s how the Broaden and Build Theory works:
Research suggests that positive emotions can broaden our scope of attention, cognition and action more than our neutral or negative state. When we feel good, we pay attention longer, we can memorise better and we have higher motivation to do more actions. Being more positive also means more creativity and flexibility which are important attributes at work.
Broadening of work and cognitive functions are just the first layers of effect of positive emotions. What comes next is the build effect. With expanded boundaries of mind and capabilities, we can build the following outcomes:
Cognitive: higher expertise, better absorption of knowledge
Social resources: stronger support networks at work, companionship, friendships and team synergy
Psychological: higher resilience, optimistic mindsets and more energised at work
Physical: better health and longevity.
These outcomes are more than just enhancing productivity, they actually help spur personal and organisational growth. One study shows that when we have position emotions, we are more likely to build good business relationships and gain better negotiation results. Managers who display positive emotions are found to be more likely to close a deal or gain better concessions from other parties. Positivity does not just turn our mood around, it expands the boundaries of our mind and emotional intelligence, which enhances our performance, relationships at work and builds better outcomes.
What can leaders do to help build positive emotions at work?
Leaders who have positive emotions have been found to have huge impact on team performance and employee’s morale. Here we suggest leaders to adopt transformational leadership style more so than transactional leadership, as it has found to be more closely related to positive mindsets and enhance employee’s levels of optimism.
Leaders who have positive emotions have been found to have huge impact on team performance and employee’s morale. Here we suggest leaders to adopt transformational leadership style more so than transactional leadership, as it has found to be more closely related to positive mindsets and enhance employee’s levels of optimism.
At FELIZ Consulting, we believe empathic and transformational leaders are key to a successful team and company. We help people to develop into more transformational leaders be it at any stage you are in your career. To help you on this, we provide executive coaching and training programs to suit your needs.
Find out how YOU can evolve as a leader and bring positive changes to your organisation by reaching out to us at [email protected] or [email protected]
Written by Howard Chim
References: Fave, A., Oades, L., & Steger, M. (2017). The Wiley Blackwell handbook of the psychology of positivity and strengths-based approaches at work.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2013a). Positive emotions broaden and build. In E. Ashby Plant & P. G. Devine (Eds.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 47, pp. 1–53). Burlington, VT: Academic Press.
2. https://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/article/benefits-positive-emotions-work