The Broaden and Build Theory |
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Surely, we have all experienced a time when negative emotions narrowed our perspective and thought processes.
Maybe you were stressed and couldn't focus on anything except the task at hand until it was completed? Or possibly you were frightened and grappling with "fight or flight" responses that demanded all of your immediate attention?
These thought-action repertoires associated with negative emotions are considered to be evolutionarily advantageous as they promote adaptive actions that are necessary for survival in threatening situations (Fredrickson, 2001).
Contrasting the tunnel vision of negative emotions, positive emotions illicit a broadening or “opening up” of our perspective and thought-action repertoire.