Is There Such a Thing as Being Too Positive?

Ever meet someone who is so consistently positive that it begins to feel like you never get to know them? A pleasure to talk to, yet keeps things so rosy, you begin to experience an ‘uber-positive’ divide?

To answer the question, “Is there such a thing as being too positive?” The answer is yes. People who tend to only look on the bright side inadvertently dismiss not only their own feelings, but those around them as well. Their need to create an optimistic state begins to transfer to every situation, which leads to a minimization of the experience, and the person on the receiving end of the ‘immediate words of the silver lining’ feels invalidated and dismissed.

Perhaps this person was led to feel guilty for any negative emotion they had as a child. Perhaps they learned this type of reaction from a parent. In either case, it has become their coping strategy to move into denial of experiences that includes pain, sadness or grief. The overgeneralization of the need for a happy state becomes ineffective for both themselves and their loved ones.

The first step is simply to recognize that perhaps this is affecting you in some way. Tomorrow’s post will take a look at alternatives; as a way to begin to soften the immediate response need to rush in with the good news.

Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@jannerboy62