ABC Radio
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Toxic positivity — when happiness becomes harmful
Toxic positivity — when happiness becomes harmful
Toxic positivity — when happiness becomes harmful
Saturday 12th February 2022
Explore toxic positivity and tragic optimism with insights from experts and real-life stories.
31 minutes
Informative
Honest
Compassionate
Eye-opening
Supportive
About this podcast
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ABC Radio
Overview:
Categories:
Mindfulness & Emotional Wellbeing
Mindful Recovery
Sexual Stigmas & Myths
Mindfulness & Technology in Health
Parenting & Children
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Episode Overview
- Toxic positivity can invalidate real emotions and experiences.
- Tragic optimism offers a healthier way to find meaning in adversity.
- Social media often perpetuates unrealistic happiness standards.
- Honest acknowledgment of suffering can be more supportive than forced positivity.
- Emotions are complex; recognising their value is crucial for mental health.
"Sometimes there's no silver lining. Sometimes things are just awful."
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? In this episode of 'All In The Mind', listeners are invited to explore the concept of toxic positivity, where the relentless pursuit of happiness can actually become harmful. Host Sana Kadar delves into why society often encourages us to maintain a cheerful disposition even when things are far from rosy.
The episode features personal anecdotes from individuals like Anna, Jamie, and Kira, who share their experiences with toxic positivity in their lives. Anna talks about living with a friend whose focus on positivity became insidious, making her question her own mental health. Jamie recounts the devastating impact of losing a child and how toxic positivity from others made her shut down emotionally. Kira, a psychologist battling metastatic breast cancer, describes how dismissive comments about her illness made her feel invalidated.
Professor Brock Bastian from The University of Melbourne and Jessica Mead from Swansea University offer insights into why toxic positivity is damaging and introduce the concept of 'tragic optimism' as a healthier alternative. Tragic optimism, coined by Viktor Frankl, encourages finding meaning in life's tragedies rather than forcing positivity. This episode invites reflection on how we can support each other authentically without dismissing the complexity of human emotions.
So, next time you're tempted to say "look on the bright side," ask yourself if that's really what someone needs to hear. What might you learn from embracing tragic optimism instead?