Health and Wellness for Physicians
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"I like feeling good...
Feeling good makes me feel good..."
Anonymous
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Physician Well Being Alert
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The above quote captures something very important about human nature. For example, weāve known for a long time the role that negative emotions play on our wellbeing and survival. They cause us to attend to immediate threats, then narrow our focus to the most relevant issues of the moment.
For example, anger prepares us to defend against violation or trespass; fear warns us that potential threats loom, and sadness can cause us to slow down and reach out for support when loss or sorrow call.
By comparison, very little attention has been paid to the role positive emotions play in our lives. These include gratitude, joy, love, contentment, and many others.
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Have you ever heard of it? Kind of like tachycardia, only it means āfast mindā: an altered perception of time, in which it seems to speed up or slow down.
Tachypsychia occurs under emotional distress such as an automobile accident. It can cause other immediate changes in our mental perspective too. For example, ātunnel visionā and a razor-like focus on the threat at hand. Followed by āauditory exclusion,ā causing distortion in what we hear.
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Positive emotions, on the other hand, have the opposite effect. Research shows that emotions such as joy, contentment, gratitude and others play a much larger role in our overall health and wellbeing than was ever suspected. We now know that positive emotions, even if only experienced briefly, actually cause us to become more resilient!
The data shows that when we experience positive emotions, our perspective ābroadens and builds,ā just the opposite of what happens when we're upset. Positive emotions cause us to process information more quickly, to be more creative, and literally āseeā more of the world around us. This leads to improved decision making and better judgement.
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In a widely cited scientific study of physicians for example, one group was given a simple gift to briefly boost their immediate mood. They were then asked to solve a clinical/medical problem in comparison to a control group who did not receive the mood boost.
The analysis showed that the doctors who did, solved the problem more accurately, flexibly, and more quickly. They were even able to read x-rays about 18% more accurately!
Other studies have found that those who experience positive emotions on a regular basis have fewer colds, headaches, chest pain, inflammation, and congestion.
How much is enough?
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āLife isnāt about avoiding the storm, itās about learning to dance in the rain.ā Vivian Greene
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Some researchers now believe they have found a ratio of positive-to-negative emotions that seems optimal. A 3-5:1 ratio is recommended by various sources. So, as you can begin to recognize, create and savor 3-5 even temporary positive emotions for every negative one throughout the day, you'll have gone a long way toward unlocking this hugely important key to human flourishing. |
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Conclusion: Positive emotions are not trivial. They have a purpose in each of our lives, and can be created, recognized, and savored. Learn how you can include increasing numbers of positive emotions into your life, and begin to experience all of the benefits they bestow.
Try these Action Steps
- Random Acts of Kindness boost your positive emotions: Identify opportunities to engage in small acts of kindness towards others throughout the day.
- Spend two minutes per evening before bed and write down 3 new positive events that occurred within the past 24 hours. Do this every day for 21 days in a row. Review your previous responses each evening.
Youāre on your way to feeling good, or at least better!
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Additional Resources Positive Emotions
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Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology: The Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotions, American Psychologist, 56, 218-226.
Estrada C. A., Isen, A. M. Young, M. J. (1997). Positive affect facilitates integration of information and decreases anchoring in reasoning among physicians. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 72, 117-135.
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