Our most recent emotion science articles here - hot off our imaginary, virtual presses.
Caregivers battling on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic are susceptible to burnout and compassion fatigue. But there have been too, stories of meaning and compassion satisfaction amidst the bleakness and pessimism. Our article features compassion – its costs and consequences, among medical professionals amidst the pandemic.
Interesting times call for new ways of confronting our challenges. In a climate of media misinformation, erroneous scientific reporting, discrimination, social inequality, and political instability, it is easy to get mired in negativity and pessimism. We need to cultivate our innate goodness and virtues if we are to see these challenging times through. Our article here calls for recognizing and cultivating the strengths we need to see these difficult times through.
Hopeful thinking consists of having both the will and the way to reach our goals and overcome challenges. What we overlook, however, is that we can draw on others to cultivate our hopefulness. Our article on locus of hope shows why relying on others can enhance our overall well-being.
The pandemic has been with us for over a year now. Many of us are still trying our best to make it through these challenging times. When others impose the pressure and expectation on us to appear ‘OK,’ however, this can invalidate a range of emotions experienced during these difficult times. We shouldn’t have to pretend that everything is okay when it isn’t. Our guest article by Sharveena Devi explores toxic positivity during the pandemic, how it endangers our wellbeing and importantly, what we can do about it.
Did you interact with strangers online during this pandemic? Did you end up becoming friends – to the point of sharing some of your secrets with any of them? If you said yes to both, this article by guest author Wei Kit Won explains the psychology behind these long distant intimate friendships. Learn more about what online friends mean to us, and how this pandemic magnified this entire experience.
Men are often expected to follow societal and gender norms. Adhering to norms of “masculinity” implies having self-control and being self-reliant. However, this also means that some men may be conditioned and be expected to face emotional challenges on their own. Consequently, they may experience mental health struggles such as depression and anxiety – but they also become less willing to seek support compared to women. Guest author Jacqueline Leong explores the connection between toxic masculinity and depression among men today. Check out the article here.
Have you ever pondered if your dreams of losing teeth, fighting with giants, or being in a room with a lion held any meaning? The association between dreams and waking-life is related to our emotional experiences. Our latest article by guest author Charon Wong explores the continuity between waking and dream emotions and the role of dreams as an emotional regulatory mechanism.
Shame results from seeing oneself as inferior and powerless to change one’s circumstances. This emotion can often lead to one feeling trapped and can be detrimental to our well-being. But we can learn to manage this self-conscious emotion – it starts by listening to your inner voice. Embracing your actual, instead of your ideal self is one way to build your shame resilience. Guest author Lee Jia Ying shows us how.
In the effort to raise mental health awareness throughout the past decade, much attention has been placed upon popular media. The stigmatisation of toxic ideas through come-and-go trends begs the question: Are we really doing enough to correct misconceptions of mental illness? Guest author Lauren Chai helps us break down these tropes. Read the article here.
Our team at Emotivity wish you a great start to the New Year, and hope that it heralds a season of positive change, uplifting emotions, and new opportunities for you and your family. Check out our special update this month, featuring some of our most-accessed articles over the past three years.
We realized many things about our emotions and ourselves during the pandemic. Here’s what the team at Emotivity came to know about the emotional journey that has been the year 2020.
What emotions reside at the core of effective influence? Leaders that inspire and those who rouse feelings of awe are likely to motivate followers to set aside personal interests for the collective good. These self-transcendent emotions may be what makes these leaders so effective and influential. Read our article here on these emotions of influence.
Humour may not often come across as a topic of serious scientific study. But the research in this area tells us that having a good laugh now and then can be beneficial in helping us cope with workplace demands and foster cohesion with our leaders and colleagues. Check out our article here on what research has to say about the uses and benefits of humour at work.
Much research on video games shows there to be a negative impact on aggressive tendencies. But if we look beyond just games with violent content, are there any benefits to video gaming? Can prosocial video games make us more cooperative and empathetic? Read our article here to find out.
Positive psychology research gives us approaches that help us thrive and flourish. But misconceptions about how it is possible to be happy, optimistic, and compassionate all the time can be misleading, if not detrimental to our well-being. A more nuanced approach to appreciating findings from positive psychology involves understanding the dangers of excessive optimism and compassion. Read our article here on the perils and pitfalls of excessive optimism and compassion.
Are you courageous? Philosophers and scientists see courage as persistence in the face of fear and adversity. Long considered a virtue, it is also a psychological strength that we can cultivate in times of need. Check out our article here on how you can cultivate psychological courage.