What is toxic positivity?

Answer

Toxic positivity is an unhealthy insistence on viewing life from a positive perspective, regardless of the circumstances or emotions a person is experiencing. It goes beyond optimism and “positive thinking”; it creates a facade of cheeriness and denies all negative emotions. This behavior leads to a false projection of hopefulness and brightness.

Studies and life experience tell us that a positive attitude is beneficial mentally, physically, and emotionally, but a push to always “look on the bright side” is harmful. Toxic positivity intentionally overlooks the reality of challenging situations and does not allow one’s genuine emotions to be processed in a healthy way. When emotions are suppressed, they tend to grow rather than diminish (www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/toxic-positivity-during-the-pandemic, accessed 12/27/21).

Toxic positivity can manifest in cliches like “It could be worse,” “Everything happens for a reason,” or “Cheer up.” It can lead us to avoid sharing our pain with others or even feel ashamed for experiencing sadness or anger. Toxic positivity avoids confronting situations truthfully and can cause us to downplay the suffering of others.

Scripture teaches us that not everything that occurs is good. Particularly in Psalms, it illustrates the wide range of human emotions. Even our Creator Himself experiences emotions. God understands love, joy, anger, compassion, and sadness (Jeremiah 31:3;Luke 10:21;Matthew 21:12;Exodus 33:19;John 11:35). God Himself does not endorse the notion that constant, forced positivity is healthy or natural.

Moreover, in Scripture, God does not condemn challenging emotions such as anger, sadness, or grief. These emotions are a normal part of the human experience, and when managed appropriately, there is no sin involved.Be careful about them. God calls us to mourn for sin “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”, (Matthew 5:4), weep over disobedience “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”, (2 Corinthians 7:10), fear eternal separation from God “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”, (Matthew 10:28), and be angry at things like injustice “Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.”, (Isaiah 1:17). Rather than tamp down negative emotions, we are to “weep with those who weep” “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”, (Romans 12:15, ESV).

It is essential that Christians take sin seriously and be rightly grieved by it (Matthew 9:47). There is no positive spin that can remove sins from us or anyone else. Repentance requires a heart broken by its own sinfulness “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”, (2 Corinthians 7:10). We should never let someone diminish our heartbreak over our sins.

The psalms are a good study in emotion and truth. Various psalmists recount injustices, difficult circumstances, or a hard past, and they express honest words of grief and need; then they move into words of praise for God and who He

is (e.g., Psalms 51, 54, 55, 56). In contrast, toxic positivity seeks to circumvent the process, moving straight to “praise,” skipping the honest dealing with life’s tragedies. The problem is that “worship” based on a false optimism is itself going to be inauthentic see John 4:24.

Toxic positivity denies the reality of one’s situation, embraces dishonesty, and suppresses the natural emotions that God Himself experiences and that He created us to experience as well. Our perspective, although hopeful, must be informed by the truth of the Bible and grounded in reality.