Positive Emotion Disturbance

The longstanding assumption has been that positive emotions and associated feelings are entirely adaptive. As a result, less scientific attention has been devoted to understanding the ways in which positive emotions might also be a source of dysfunction for our psychological health. However, the empirical tides have recently begun to change, and with it, a new wave of research has pointed to ways in which positive emotionality is also related to a range of poor health outcomes andmaladaptive clinical syndromes. How might this be possible? Here, we provide cutting-edge insights into unpacking the nature of positive emotion disturbance by highlighting six key themes outlining the ways positive emotion may go awry. We conclude by providing a roadmap for future research aimed at providing an integrativemodel for understanding positive emotion as well as how to harness and cultivate appropriate positive feelings.