Why toxic positivity is making us miserable | Kate Bowler

Toxic positivity has become a cultural system in America, says historian and professor Kate Bowler. ❍ Subscribe to The Well on YouTube: https://bit.ly/welcometothewell ❍ Up next: The brain-deep emotion that matters more than happiness | Kate Bowler [video link] She traces how optimism became an emotional mandate in American life: a belief that bright sides and silver linings can solve anything. But when positivity refuses pain, it stops being hopeful and becomes denial. Drawing on personal experience and cultural analysis, Bowler reveals how forced optimism erases nuance, stigmatizes grief, and leaves us unprepared for the parts of life that don’t resolve. Some things aren’t meant to be mastered — they just hurt. Naming that, she argues, is the first step toward something more honest, and more human. Read the full video transcript: [Link to The Well video on Bigthink.com] utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description_thewell ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ❍ About The Well ❍ Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds. So what do they think? How is the power of science advancing understanding? How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions? Let’s dive into The Well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The Well on your favorite platforms: ❍ Facebook: https://bit.ly/thewellFB ❍ Instagram: https://bit.ly/thewellIG