Cultivating Positivity Resonance in Social Interactions: The Effects of Positive Social Engagement on Wellbeing
In two separate literatures, both positive emotions and social engagement are known to promote health and wellbeing (Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004; Holt-Lunstad, Smith, & Layton, 2010). A particular combination of positive emotions and social engagement, called positivity resonance, has been theorized to be especially powerful in promoting health and wellbeing. Positivity resonance is thought to occur when two or more people share positive emotions, bio-behavioral synchrony, and mutual care and concern for one another.
Research question: Could positivity resonance be the mechanism through which both positive emotions and social closeness promote physical and psychological health?
Experimental Design
Analysis and Impact
In this two-week intervention, we found that:
- The daily activity of cultivating brief moments of positive social connection, relative to cultivating brief moments of mindful thought, builds wellbeing.
- These differences in wellbeing for people who cultivated brief moments of positive social connection were driven by positivity resonance.
Conclusion: This offers a new intervention – requiring minimal time, effort and training – that is successful in improving well-being in as little as two weeks even when compared to a tightly controlled comparison group.