Positivity Resonance Theory
I've been thinking about the things that make me happy and why they show up in my life. Given the internet as it is, I stumbled across a paper on the Positivity Resonance Theory. [1] In it, a case is made that chasing a single “big” relational moment might not be the best way to increase well-being. Well-being is more about increasing the frequency and quality of small, repeated moments of shared positivity, care, and synchrony. These are the “building blocks” whose effects compound over time.
Small moments of shared positivity, care, and synchrony happen all the time. This is what I've come to call a micro-ritual of affection. A trait/habit I'm working on. It is a matter of focus and attention. I do feel like this is a skill and that the practice compounds my attention to those shared moments. Not every interaction can be an example of positive resonance, but with each success, the positive view of the world is reinforced.
Links:
Major, Brett C., et al. "Well-being Correlates of Perceived Positivity Resonance: Evidence from Trait and Episode-Level Assessments." Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, vol. 44, no. 12, 2018, p. 1631, https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167218771324. Accessed 11 May 2026. ↩︎