Maximizing Positive Affects in Relationships
The key to any successful relationship is understanding how to maximize positive affects and minimize negative affects. But what exactly are these affects, and how do we go about cultivating them? Today, I’ll be exploring the two primary positive affects—interest-excitement and enjoyment-joy—and discussing ways to cultivate them in our relationships.
Interest-Excitement The first of the two primary positive affects is Interest-Excitement. This affect is characterized by feelings of alertness, curiosity, enthusiasm, and engagement. It’s essential for any healthy relationship because it encourages us to stay connected with each other and continue learning more about one another. To cultivate this effect in a relationship, it’s important to keep things fresh and exciting. Try out new activities together, explore different areas of your city, or even just switch up your daily routines. You can also try setting goals for yourself as a couple—maybe you want to work towards running a 5K together or plan a vacation for next year. Whatever it may be, having something to look forward to can help foster interest-excitement in your relationship. For parents, it’s actively engaging and playing with your child, allowing them to be interested in you and making sure that they know you are interested in them. Active engagement and shared interest applies to adults as well!
Enjoyment-Joy The second primary positive affect is Enjoyment-Joy. This affect is characterized by feelings of contentment and happiness that come from engaging in meaningful experiences with someone else. To cultivate this affect in a relationship, it’s important to appreciate the little moments shared between you two—like sharing an inside joke or taking time out of your day just to talk on the phone or FaceTime with each other. Another great way of fostering Enjoyment Joy is through shared hobbies—like cooking dinner together on weekends or going for bike rides around town every weeknight after work! Doing something fun together can help bring joy into both of your lives and give you an activity that you can share with one another on a regular basis.
At the end of the day, cultivating both Interest-Excitement and Enjoyment-Joy are essential aspects of any successful relationship between people, whether they are friends, lovers, parent-child or colleagues. By understanding how these two primary positive affects work together and actively working towards maximizing them in our relationships, we are able to create stronger connections and foster healthier interactions with those around us! If you take away anything from this article today remember that it all starts with finding creative ways to engage and appreciate time shared with those important people in your life!
