ABSTRACT
The nature and function of emotions have intrigued psychology researchers and practitioners for decades, with early thinking taking the view that emotions are wild, uncontrollable and at times dangerous, primal impulses. Compared to reasoning, they were often considered as an inferior, less sensible and hence less dependable function. The reason for this limited agenda is that negative emotions, when prolonged, intense or inappropriate, are regarded as indicators of psychopathology. Scholars often differentiate between basic and complex emotions, as well as make a distinction between emotions, mood, feelings and affect. The Broaden-and-Build Theory evolved from a desire to capture the uniqueness of positive emotions, and free the study of positive emotions from some of the restrictive assumptions and models that are commonly used for exploring negative emotions. A large body of research shows the beneficial effects of positive emotions on varied life domains.
