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Emodiversity

Updated Oct 31 2024

From Tarot for Change, Jessica Dore:

In 2017, positive psychology researchers published findings that suggested emodiversity—which they defined as “the breadth and relative abundance of emotions that individuals experience”—is more significant to wellness than happiness. When they asked 175 adults between the ages of forty and fifty to record their positive and negative emotions over thirty days, they discovered that those who reported a broader range of emotions had less inflammation, a biological process that has been linked to both early morbidity and mortality, but also to emotional states.

It makes sense that emodiversity would be an indicator of well-being. The more variations of emotion we’re able and willing to feel, the freer we are because we rely less on rigid avoidance strategies to feel safe.

Imagine trying to look at a rainbow and not wanting to see the color green. You’d have to close your eyes entirely, so you miss out on the rest.