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Positive emotions: exploring the other hemisphere in behavioral medicine

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abstract

The search for the psychological antecedents of medical disorders has focused on the role of stress and negative emotional states. Previous research in this area has investigated relations between negative emotions and physiological adaptations (e.g., blood pressure elevations), adverse health behaviors (e.g., smoking), and social conditions (e.g., social isolation). In this discussion, we argue that more attention is needed to understand the effects of positive emotional states on health enhancement and disease prevention. In each of the areas cited previously, evidence is beginning to emerge that indicates that positive emotions can be associated with health promoting conditions. Interventions using cognitive behavioral strategies or meditation can increase positive emotional states that are maintained over time and that may benefit health and well-being. Implications for behavioral medicine are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Margaret A. Chesney, Lynae A. Darbes, Kate Hoerster, Jonelle M. Taylor & Donald B. Chambers

  2. National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    David E. Anderson

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  1. Margaret A. Chesney
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  2. Lynae A. Darbes
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  3. Kate Hoerster
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  4. Jonelle M. Taylor
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  5. Donald B. Chambers
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Correspondence to Margaret A. Chesney.

Additional information

This article is based on a presentation given by the first author at the International Congress of Behavioral Medicine, Helsinki, Finland, August 2002. This work was supported by grants R01 MH57233 (Margaret A. Chesney, principal investigator) and P30-MH62246 (Thomas J. Coates, principal investigator) from the National Institute of Mental Health. The authors thank Susan Folkman and Judith Moskowitz at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, for their collaboration and guidance in the theoretical aspects of enhancing positive affect and meaning through coping effectiveness training (CET). We also thank the dedicated staff members and participants of the CET research trials.

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Chesney, M.A., Darbes, L.A., Hoerster, K. et al. Positive emotions: exploring the other hemisphere in behavioral medicine. Int. J. Behav. Med. 12, 50–58 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327558ijbm1202_2

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