Izzy Allen’s Reviews > Toxic Positivity: Keeping It Real in a World Obsessed with Being Happy > Status Update

i promise i read on all the days i was gone, but i completely forgot to update my goodreads while i was out. again, i did NOT read 150 pages in one sitting.

i also read over the weekend but forgot to update my goodreads (I did NOT read 40 pages in 10 minutes.)

I researched the meaning of toxic positivity in John Hopkin's newsletter. Toxic positivity is the "overgeneralized mandate calling for 'good vibes' & 'happy feels' that often result in the invalidation of genuine emotion" (Felix). Most of the time, toxic positivity is used to make someone feel better or others comfortable around you by trying to be positive all of the time and not be negative or a 'debby downer'.

I researched where/when the term 'toxic positivity' was coined. I learned that it has been researched by phycologists since at least 1980. Though the term isn't "officially defined in scientific literature" (Resiliance Lab: Toxic Positivity), it is generally described as a pressure to always be happy and have good vibes.