Exploring Toxic Positivity On Social Media
There is a growing trend online that promotes positivity by saying things like “good vibes only.” On social media, many accounts are promoting positive mantras and encouraging messages meant to be uplifting. In theory, this may seem beneficial; in reality, it can be toxic.
Toxic positivity is a concept that promotes a positive, happy mindset no matter how difficult a person’s experience is. The power of positive thinking is an idea that books and other media outlets have focused on for decades, but with the growth of social media, the idea has exploded. The idea of positive thinking can have its benefits. For example, a 2018 study of college students found that positive thinking and high self-esteem were interconnected and led to more resilience.
However, practicing or promoting positive thinking as the only solution can invalidate people’s emotions. Toxic positivity can make people feel that it is not okay to sometimes have feelings that aren’t positive. This can put pressure on individuals to pretend that they are happy even if they are not. In addition, toxic positivity may allow people to ignore the real-world problems that contribute to mental health concerns, and it can invalidate mental illness in general.
How does toxic positivity affect your mental health?
Having a positive mindset isn’t what is toxic. The problem is minimizing and demeaning any negative emotion in general. If an individual is going through a difficult time in their life, telling them to be positive likely won’t change what they are going through, and it probably won’t miraculously make them happy. Instead, it may make the individual feel as though it is wrong to feel sad, anxious, or angry. This stigma can discourage an individual from seeking the support or treatment that they need.
As humans, we naturally experience a wide range of emotions, both good and what some would consider bad. It’s all part of the human experience, and denying any of these emotions takes away from that, which may create more problems down the line. Toxic positivity can become an unhealthy coping mechanism that masks our emotions but doesn’t relieve them. A recent study that tested the link between acceptance of emotions and mental health found that individuals who consistently accepted their emotions experienced fewer negative emotional responses.
How to overcome toxic positivity on social media
Toxic positivity has become a trend on social media and may seem like it’s everywhere. Social media often has a reputation for being bad for your mental health, but this may depend on how you choose to use it. Studies have found that social media can have both positive and negative impacts on mental health. On the plus side, social media can be used to provide emotional support, build communities, and provide an outlet for self-expression. However, social media use has also been linked to depression, anxiety, poor sleep quality, cyberbullying, poor body image, and overall decreased life satisfaction, among other things.
If you come away feeling bad more often than not after spending time on social media, it may help to reevaluate your relationship with it. While many of the accounts promoting positive mantras and messages appear like they should help, they may only put a band-aid on what a person is experiencing. Repressing our real feelings often does not make them go away.
Unfollow, mute, detox
Instead, you might choose to follow accounts that you find more relatable or that inspire you.
If you find yourself scrolling through social media and you’re not getting anything good out of it, it may also be beneficial to limit the amount of time you spend on these platforms each day. You might try changing up your routine and spending more time doing other activities, such as connecting with others in person.
Journaling
If toxic positivity on social media makes you feel isolated, journaling can be an effective way to express your emotions. Research shows that journaling can have a number of benefits for both your physical and mental health. One study published in The Arts in Psychotherapy showed that journaling led to a reduction in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and hostility among participants.
It can be easy to develop obsessive thoughts around whatever we are going through. Journaling may help you identify the emotions you’re feeling so that you can break negative thought patterns and begin to heal.
Therapy
Toxic positivity can leave many people feeling unsure about whom they can talk to about the difficult times they are going through. Connecting with a licensed therapist can be an effective way to combat the negative effects of toxic positivity. A therapist may be able to serve as an unbiased professional who validates your emotions and experiences. Through therapy, you may learn that it’s okay to not always feel okay. You may also learn how to heal and move forward.
Just having someone you trust actively listen to you—whether you’re telling the good or the bad—may positively impact both your mental and physical health. One study found that having someone to listen to you may make your brain more resilient and lead to greater cognitive function as you age.
If you’re going through a difficult time and don’t feel up to visiting a therapist’s office, you might benefit from online therapy. Numerous peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of online therapy for a variety of mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression.
With an online therapy service like BetterHelp, you can connect with a licensed therapist from home or wherever you have an internet connection. You can talk with one of thousands of licensed therapists by phone, video call, or online chat at a time that’s convenient for you.
Takeaway
How does social media affect toxic positivity?
“Toxic positivity” refers to suppressing and avoiding negative emotions or presenting a façade of positivity to the outside world. Signs of dismissing negative feelings include saying things like:
“Look on the bright side.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“It could be worse.”
“Don’t sweat it.”
Social media platforms can worsen toxic positivity because users typically present highly curated, edited versions of themselves, which often do not include sharing negative feelings or challenges. Social media algorithms may promote positive content over less positive content, further driving toxic positivity online.
What is the toxic impact of social media?
Toxic positivity on social media platforms can pressure people to only share positive content, limit the ability to form friendships online, and make negative emotions feel “abnormal” or “problematic.” Toxic positivity can lead to unhealthy comparisons to unrealistic standards, and it can increase the risk of mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, loneliness, and eating disorders.
What are the negative effects of social media on body positivity?
Social media algorithms may favor users who post photoshopped, filtered, or posed photos of themselves that change their appearance. These unrealistic beauty standards can trigger negative health effects, such as body shaming or cyberbullying, low self-esteem, unhealthy comparisons, and the development of eating disorders. When people engage with harmful content, such as fitness or diet posts, their social media feeds may increasingly show them this content.
How does toxic positivity affect society?
Toxic positivity can impact broader societies by increasing challenges like anxiety, social withdrawal, divisiveness, the spread of misinformation, emotional avoidance and invalidation, pressure to conform, and difficulty coping with stressors.
What is the negative impact of social media on people's lives?
Some of the negative potential impacts of social media include:
Polarization and misinformation
Fear of missing out
Issues with time management or productivity
Increasing mental health challenges, such as worsening body image, anxiety, depression, loneliness, or self-esteem
Cyberbullying
Lower sleep quality
Despite some of the benefits offered by social media, experts warn that social media poses real mental health and societal risks.
What is the damage of toxic positivity?
Toxic positivity can lead to several harmful effects, including increasing feelings of isolation, guilt or shame for experiencing negative emotions, emotional invalidation, worsening mental health issues, and difficulty seeking support from loved ones or professionals. Toxic positivity can also interfere with the ability to connect with others online genuinely.
Why should we avoid toxic positivity?
Toxic positivity can lead to risks like emotional suppression and invalidation, increased difficulty coping with negative feelings, social isolation, unrealistic expectations, and worsening mental health challenges.
Instead of saying something like, “It could be worse,” or “Good vibes only,” you can avoid toxic positivity by validating negative emotions, actively listening to others rather than dismissing them, presenting a more authentic version of yourself, offering emotional support, and promoting healthy coping skills for yourself and the people you care about.
On social media, consider unfollowing accounts that promote toxic positivity, following accounts that promote mental health openness, and sharing a more authentic version of yourself.
Why is too much positivity bad?
Too much positivity can be a form of “toxic positivity.” This can lead to negative emotional suppression, invalidating, shame or guilt, increased difficulty coping with stressors, social isolation, and greater pressure to conform or appear “perfect.”
What is the lesson of toxic positivity?
A lesson one might take away from toxic positivity is that while optimism and a positive outlook can be good qualities, they can be harmful when used to invalidate or suppress negative emotions. While one might think that focusing on the positive is a good thing, it may counterintuitively lead to emotional suppression, isolation, and worsening mental health.
Why is it called toxic positivity?
While cultivating a positive mindset can be helpful, toxic positivity refers to hyperfocus on positive emotions. This excessive emphasis on positivity may suppress, dismiss, or invalidate negative emotions. It can also pressure others to act positively, even when it doesn’t accurately reflect how they feel.
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