In this video, psychology professor Barbara Fredrickson discusses what positive emotions are and how positivity can open our minds. She describes positive emotions as broadening our awareness of the world, which can make us more attuned to the needs of others and help us look past racial and cultural differences.
Barbara Fredrickson, PhD is Kenan Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her university profile describes her as one of the most highly cited scholars in psychology and as best known for her “broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions.” The profile presents the theory as an account of how pleasant emotions, brief as they are, can add up to resilience, wellbeing and health.
The Positive Psychology course on Coursera, offered by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, covers research by Fredrickson and her colleagues, and Coursera lists enrollment as free.
