Positive Emotions Trigger Upward Spirals Toward Emotional Well-Being

TLDR

The broaden‑and‑build theory predicts that positive emotions broaden attention and cognition, initiating upward spirals toward greater emotional well‑being. This study tested whether positive affect and broad‑minded coping reciprocally and prospectively predict one another. 138 college students completed self‑report measures of affect and coping at two time points five weeks apart. Initial positive affect predicted improved broad‑minded coping, and initial broad‑minded coping predicted increased positive affect; serial mediation showed they enhanced each other, supporting the theory that positive emotions drive upward spirals toward enhanced well‑being, with implications for clinical practice and health promotion.

Abstract

The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions predicts that positive emotions broaden the scopes of attention and cognition, and, by consequence, initiate upward spirals toward increasing emotional well-being. The present study assessed this prediction by testing whether positive affect and broad-minded coping reciprocally and prospectively predict one another. One hundred thirty-eight college students completed self-report measures of affect and coping at two assessment periods 5 weeks apart. As hypothesized, regression analyses showed that initial positive affect, but not negative affect, predicted improved broad-minded coping, and initial broad-minded coping predicted increased positive affect, but not reductions in negative affect. Further mediational analyses showed that positive affect and broad-minded coping serially enhanced one another. These findings provide prospective evidence to support the prediction that positive emotions initiate upward spirals toward enhanced emotional well-being. Implications for clinical practice and health promotion are discussed.