The positivity effect is the ability to constructively analyze a situation where the desired results are not achieved, but still obtain positive feedback that assists one's future progression.
Empirical research findings suggest that the positivity effect can be influenced by internal positive speech, where engaging in constructive self-dialogue can significantly improve one’s ability to perceive and react to challenging situations more optimistically.
The findings of a study show that the optimism bias in future-oriented thinking fulfils a self-improvement purpose while also suggesting this bias probably reflects a common underpinning motivational process across various future-thinking domains, either episodic or semantic.
In attribution
The positivity effect as an attribution phenomenon relates to the habits and characteristics of people when evaluating the causes of their behaviors. To positively attribute is to be open to attributing a person’s inherent disposition as the cause of their positive behaviors, and the situations surrounding them as the potential cause of their negative behaviors.
In perception
Two studies by
Emilio Ferrara
Emilio Ferrara is an Italian-American computer scientist, researcher, and professor in the field of data science and social networks. As of 2022, he serves as a Full Professor at the University of Southern California (USC), in the Viterbi School ...
have shown that, on online social networks like
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
and Instagram, users prefer to share positive news, and are emotionally affected by positive news more than twice as much as they are by negative news.
See also
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List of biases in judgment and decision making
Cognitive biases are systematic patterns of deviation from norm and/or rationality in judgment. They are often studied in psychology, sociology and behavioral economics.
Although the reality of most of these biases is confirmed by reproducible ...
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List of memory biases
Cognitive biases are systematic patterns of deviation from norm and/or rationality in judgment. They are often studied in psychology, sociology and behavioral economics.
Although the reality of most of these biases is confirmed by reproducible ...
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Optimism bias
Optimism bias or optimistic bias is a cognitive bias that causes someone to believe that they themselves are less likely to experience a negative event. It is also known as unrealistic optimism or comparative optimism. It is common and transcends ...
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Pollyanna principle
The Pollyanna principle (also called Pollyannaism or positivity bias) is the tendency for people to remember pleasant items more accurately than unpleasant ones. Research indicates that at the subconscious level, the mind tends to focus on the opt ...
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Positivity offset
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Rosy retrospection
Rosy retrospection is a proposed Psychology, psychological phenomenon of recalling the past more positively than it was actually experienced.
The highly False memory, unreliable nature of human memory is well documented and accepted amongst psycho ...
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Self-serving bias
A self-serving bias is any cognitive or perceptual process that is distorted by the need to maintain and enhance self-esteem, or the tendency to perceive oneself in an overly favorable manner. It is the belief that individuals tend to ascribe succ ...
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Toxic positivity
Toxic positivity (excessive positivity or positive toxicity) is dysfunctional emotional management without the full acknowledgment of negative emotions, particularly anger and sadness. Socially, it is the act of dismissing another person's nega ...
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Wishful thinking
Wishful thinking is the formation of beliefs based on what might be pleasing to imagine, rather than on evidence, rationality, or reality. It is a product of resolving conflicts between belief and desire. Methodologies to examine wishful thin ...
Notes
References
Dictionaries and encyclopedias
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Papers
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* {{cite journal, pmid= 15367078 , year= 2004 , last1= Mezulis , first1= A. H. , title= Is there a universal positivity bias in attributions? A meta-analytic review of individual, developmental, and cultural differences in the self-serving attributional bias , journal= Psychological Bulletin , volume= 130 , issue= 5 , pages= 711–747 , last2= Abramson , first2= L. Y. , last3= Hyde , first3= J. S. , last4= Hankin , first4= B. L. , doi= 10.1037/0033-2909.130.5.711
Cognition
Cognitive biases
Memory
Memory biases
Psychological theories