6 of us, with possible roles.
Group leader: Appoint someone to oversee the group and make sure everyone is on the right track and meeting the deadlines.- Emma
- Data Analysts: Analyze the groups data and identify key themes and insights. Tiana, Carrina and Sandy
- Reference Librarians: Connect the data to current research, providing 8-12 quality references. Emma
- Editors: Fine-tune the final report, ensuring it meets formatting requirements and is ready for submission. Hongji, Yutao
Positive emotions are essential for psychological well-being, as they help build resilience and strengthen social relationships. Drawing from Cafes 1 and 2, this report explores how everyone understands and experiences positive emotions differently from the challenges they face, to the strategies they use to overcome them.
One main theme that came up in Cafe 1 was the distinction between joy and happiness, where some described happiness as a steady, everyday emotion, while joy, for some, was more intense and temporary at times. For example, Happiness for Tiana was characterized as a subtle sense of contentment present in her life that comes from routine activities such as cooking dinner or hearing a song at the right time, but joy is seen as something more bright and expressive: like laughing with friends. Emma described happiness as a low hum coming from small things like contentment or peace, while joy is a high positive emotion. Hongji described happiness as a long-term and stable state especially when they are making progress and staying on track, and some members realized a shift in their understanding of happiness over time, from associating it with major achievements to recognizing that it does not necessarily need to be tied to any intense or extraordinary feelings.
In Cafe 2, experiences of joy and happiness remained consistent and connected with the theme that came up in Cafe 1. Members expressed that ordinary, small moments are central to positive emotions, such as listening to music, cooking, having a good conversation, or eating dinner while watching hockey. Others have also expressed finding joy through activities like jazz dancing, tennis, which bring a sense of natural energy and help them feel light, free, and connected. Overall, joy and happiness can be meaningfully appreciated even in moments where they may seem to be ordinary or boring.
One external challenge our group has all faced is the academic pressure/productivity cycle, as academic pressure limits positive emotions. Life was described as a constant cycle of tasks, where achievements only bring brief relief before moving on grades, careers and plans make it difficult to enjoy the present, focusing on deadlines and responsibilities causes forgetfulness in feeling proud or satisfied, and being stuck in survival mode where even positive experiences feel unfulfilling due to constant forward thinking. A constant focus on productivity and future goals can make it difficult to stay present, making positive emotions feel overlooked/less meaningful, but learning how to balance academic responsibilities with personal life shapes the view of happiness and joy differently.
Another challenge our group faced internally was overthinking and having negative thought patterns interfere with positive emotions. Carrina describes overthinking even during happy moments, questioning how long it will last, which makes happiness feel inauthentic or temporary. Emma shares her experiences with OCD and depression, where rumination and negative thinking prevented her from feeling joy or even believing she deserved happiness. Hongji mentions self-doubt and a lack of confidence, focusing on mistakes rather than achievements, and Sandy shares that she learned that negative emotions should be accepted rather than controlled or avoided. As a result, cognitive patterns like self-doubt/overthinking can block positive emotions, even when positive experiences are present.
The final challenge that our group faced was social connection as both a source of positive emotions and a challenge against them. Emma finds joy through laughing with loved ones and meaningful interactions at work, Tiana associates joy with moments of connection, therefore a lack of social connection acts as a challenge for her, sandy describes emotional difficulty due to physical distance from family, missing important events like holidays and gatherings, and Hongji mentions that people studying abroad often feel “lonely and isolated sharing that his personal lack of support systems affect his emotional health when away from familiar environments. Social connection is both an important source of positive emotions and, when absent, is a barrier to experiencing them fully.
The group identified several strategies to help reduce negative emotions and improve overall well-being. The first one is learning to accept negative emotions as an integral and unavoidable part of life. Emma learned to accept negative experiences as part of life, which helped to reduce emotional reactivity and increase overall stability. Sandy recognizes that negative emotions are to be lived alongside. Similarly, Carrina acknowledges that without moments of hardships, the feeling of happiness would be meaningless. With a simple change in the way we view negative emotions and happiness, individuals can reduce the way the pressure of constantly feeling happiness and learn to instead embrace a more balanced lifestyle. In return, this acceptance allows individuals to experience positive emotions more genuinely without the unrealistic expectations of constant happiness.
The second strategy was practicing the act of being in the moment and slowing down the pace of life. Many group members mentioned that learning to live in the moment rather than thinking too far into the future helped to reduce feelings of uncertainty and make them feel more grounded overall. Sandy emphasizes slowing down and being fully present in quiet activities like walking or listening to music. Hongji works on focusing on the present and appreciating small moments rather than constantly thinking ahead. Focusing on these everyday moments and remembering to appreciate the present helps to counteract the negative feelings that come from overthinking and stress about the future.
The final strategy is that experiencing positive emotions requires intentions and effort instead of just letting happiness occur naturally. From Cafe 2, the group identified several ways to intentionally create times in their everyday lives in order to fully intentionally experience happiness for example Yutao explains that sometimes positive emotions can sometimes take intention to experience like going for a walk or dancing.
Some other examples include Tiana scheduling a weekly rest day to intentionally create space for enjoyment and Emma describes actively retraining her thinking, practicing gratitude, and engaging in self-care. Similarly, Hongji works on appreciating small achievements and focusing on the present. Overall, these strategies show how happiness is not something that just occurs naturally and often requires conscious effort and a willingness to embrace both the positive and negative experiences in life.
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