Emotional Value

47

CHAPTER THREEPOSITIVE EMOTIONAL STATES ARE AN ASSET

Even though books, audiotapes, and speakers on the power of positive thinking have become a regular part of modern life, it has become almost stylish to poke fun at motivational speakers, “positive thinking” authors, and their ideas. The motivational industry is a billion dollar market in the United States alone, and one of the best-selling books of all time is Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking. Yet the disparagement of positive thinking continues.

Part of the reason for this is that most academic studies of psychology have focused on negative emotions. Positive emotions are considered lightweight, yet without positive emotions we have little hope of attracting and retaining ...