The positivity ratio

Recent scientific research has unearthed a simple mathematical ratio for achieving success, for being able to bounce back from setbacks, and go on to make breakthroughs and achieve impressive results. It all depends on the proportion of your positivity.

In two books, Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., substantiates the “positivity ratio”, which she says explains why some people fly and some people sink. She builds on the research of Jane Dutton, her fellow professor at Michigan’s Ross School of Business, in connection with theories and equations of mathematician Marcial Losada, Ph.D. In “Positivity,” she explains that we all have a tipping point at which we turn our lives around, and which anything becomes possible. And it isn’t magic, she says, comparing it to ice and water. The only difference between the two is a change in temperature.

This is more than a little engine chugging up the hill going “I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!” It’s more than jumping into something unprepared and being optimistic that you’ll scrape away with a great performance. It’s more than deluding yourself when you’re in over your head. It is a hefty tool to make things better simply by revising your attitude.

In the beginning of the book, Fredrickson demonstrates how easy it is to have a bad day. Your alarm doesn’t go off, you miss the chance to exercise before taking care of breakfast, your kid calls for you earlier than she should. Then you get tense, rush to work, and find out you have less time to do a project, or have to do work someone else was meant to. The whole day is shot, and it’s not even 10 a.m. 

In an alternate version, you find alternatives, grateful for the extra time to rest, you turn being with your kid into a playful experience. Then you have a meaningful discussion with your colleague, and squeeze in that exercise in the form of a power walk. The entire experience is lighter, more positive, and more productive.

“What I can tell you is that your positivity ratio makes a big difference. It forecasts whether your life trajectory is leading you to languish or flourish,” Fredrickson declares. “Languish or flourish? Yes, like any other living thing, you too may either languish, barely holding on to life, or flourish, becoming ripe with possibility and remarkably resilient to hard times. People who flourish function at extraordinarily high levels – both psychologically and socially. They’re not simply people who feel good. Beyond feeling good, they’re doing good, adding value to the world.”

Fredrickson cautions, however, that this is not a naive, endless state of mind. There is a reason good feelings are fleeting, they help us adapt to situations. The ability to feel negative emotions is also a survival mechanism. We are better able to adjust, attune to our environment, and recognize friends and foes alike, if we were perpetually positive, we would be vulnerable to all sorts of attacks.

“Whether it’s fascination, laughter or love, your heartfelt moments of positivity don’t last long,” adds Fredrickson, a distinguished professor investigating Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology. “Good feelings come and go, much like perfect weather. If positivity were permanent, you wouldn’t notice the difference between good news and bad news, or between an invitation and an insult. If you want to reshape your life for the better, the secret is not to grasp positivity too tightly, denying its transient nature. Rather, it’s to seed more of it into your life – to increase your quantity of positivity over time.”

According to Fredrickson’s research, the tipping point ratio for positivity to take effect is 3:1, three positive thoughts for every negative thought. Chilean Losada’s research on high-performance teams showed that the positivity ratio made them more connected, resilient, urgent and had a higher trajectory. Interestingly enough, this transcended the boardroom or business environment. It has serious implications and powerful applications in every aspect of human life. They say that making it a habit to maintain the ratio creates numerous possibilities for success in all areas of life.

Sports teams would greatly benefit from adopting Fredrickson’s research.