IRB Media Summary of Whitney Goodman's Toxic Positivity

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Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 Toxic positivity is the belief that everything is great, and you can't imagine anything ever being worse. It has now entered the building.#2 Toxic positivity is the idea that you'll have more time off now, and while things could be worse, you'll likely learn some lessons from the experience. However, you're not there yet. You're still worried and upset.#3 Positive thinking is not all bad, but it has become so integrated into our culture that it feels strange to challenge it. We have been taught that positive feelings like gratitude, contentment, optimism, and self-confidence are the keys to happiness, and we force these feelings on ourselves because society tells us to.#4 The shame spiral of toxic positivity occurs when we get mad at ourselves for having a feeling, and then we tell ourselves that we shouldn't be feeling it. We then get mad again when a couple of just smile platitudes don't bring us endless positivity.