It's time to ditch 'toxic positivity'

[KARE 11 News, September 24, 2021] Toxic Positivity. It’s an obsession with positive thinking and the belief that people should put a positive spin on all experiences. But a "good vibes only" mentality can sometimes do more harm than good.

We all know that chipper person who’s always being positive, trying to turn a negative into a "not so bad." Doing things like urging someone to focus on the positive after a devastating loss or claiming "everything happens for a reason" after a catastrophe.

It’s called "Toxic Positivity" and psychologists like Cheryl Bemel caution against too much forced positivity, saying “Whoever said we’re supposed to be positive all the time? It’s like wearing a false mask, it’s not a reliable measure of what’s actually happening and it’s a form of negative emotions being ignored.”