This phenomenon, not least because of social networks, is a burden that can have serious consequences. Experts warn against so-called toxic positivity not only on the internet, but also at work and in relationships. It is not just positive phrases, but also videos, photographs and superficial posts that affect everyday life, often covering up unpleasant things at the expense of emotional depth and more likely pursuing material gain.
"Positivity is often defined as an optimistic and realistic view of life that also leaves room for all emotions - good and bad - to be identified and processed without the use of defensive strategies such as avoidance, minimization, or rationalization of lived experiences," describes the Psychology Today website.
Being positive doesn't mean one has "perfect" mental health, according to relationship specialist Annie Tanasugarn. Rather, she says, it means acknowledging moments of vulnerability, fear, anger or sadness, while giving oneself the time and space to process those difficulties and take something away from them.
Toxic positivity, however, is defined by experts as exaggerated and superficial displays of optimism at the expense of authentic depth and emotional maturity. It is based on maintaining a "positive" mindset that is unrealistic and unsustainable because it is based on denying negative emotions that are necessary and adaptive.
Harvard psychologist Susan David put it more succinctly, according to the Washington Post, calling it simply "suppression of emotion." And psychologist and Columbia University adjunct professor Graham Reynolds believes that toxic positivity occurs when there is an expectation that encouraging statements will minimize or eliminate painful emotions, which creates pressure to be unrealistically optimistic regardless of the circumstances of the situation.
But ignoring negative emotions, experts say, usually has the opposite effect - suppressed emotions surface with even greater intensity. In her work, trauma therapist and researcher Zoe Wyatt warned that "denying real emotional experiences" can lead to adverse psychological consequences, including increased stress, reduced emotional resilience and damage to interpersonal relationships, as well as mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and psychosomatic disorders.
FACT: "Trendy word"
The Washington Post notes in this context that the term "toxic positivity" has gained popularity in recent years.
According to him, Google Trends shows that searches for "toxic positivity" have begun to grow in 2019 with increasing discussion in texts, blogs, new studies, and even a 2022 book called Toxic Positivity: Keeping It Real in a World Obsessed with Being Happy by Whitney Goodman.
Tool for manipulation
One of the most damaging uses of toxic positivity, according to experts, is manipulation. It is usually used as encouragement, motivation, praise or as flattery. Many tend to overuse words or phrases such as "awesome," "great," "everything is great," "it looks good," "you did great," which not only belittle the individual's potential pain, but also suggest that the individual is the problem if he or she continues to express vulnerable emotions.
In the work environment, the term toxic positivity is also used when discussing company culture. For example, supervisors may often use phrases such as "Look at it positively", "There are worse things", "Everything will be fine", "Have a nice day". If they are overused, experts also say we can talk about toxic positivity. Often these are superficial phrases, not empathy. "Toxic positivity is not just about exaggerated cheerfulness. It is a systematic approach to corporate culture that prioritizes maintaining a positive outlook over dealing with difficult realities," writes Forbes.
In the case of covert narcissism, this positivity, according to experts, is a way to manage one's own vulnerability and maintain control. Rather than the overt display of dominance that is common in overt narcissism, covert narcissists mask their need for external approval with forced cheerfulness and an "I can do it all" attitude.
"While this may help them maintain a socially acceptable and non-threatening image, it also creates tension, misunderstanding and a sense of not being seen or heard by the people in their lives," Tanasugarn says. It is this kind of encouragement or positivity that is meant to inadvertently diminish or overlook the emotional experiences of others. The result is not encouragement but a sense of erasure, the expert added.
At the same time, joy and cheerfulness are not the first priority in the heart of such individuals. Mostly, covert narcissists are chronically angry, anxious or depressed and live with constant mild frustration, which they compensate for with masked toxic positivity.
How to detect it?
Since these people often appear pleasant and funny, according to experts, it is very difficult to detect such behaviour. However, some people feel that there is something wrong with the person, that they are "artificial" and only in retrospect realise that they were dealing with someone who suffers from, for example, hidden narcissism. The frequent overuse of the phrases mentioned above may also be a clue.
Emotional maturity in such individuals is usually replaced by cynicism or disloyalty. Moreover, they display a certain naivety that everything will be solved without change or problems. In this dynamic, toxic positivity functions as a regressive force, where idealism replaces critical thinking. "By fostering a dependence on hope, timing, or wishful thinking, people with high levels of covert narcissism end up avoiding responsibility and seeing any attempts at autonomy or self-advocacy as mere expressions of fear, nihilism, or drama," writes Psychology Today. Surprisingly many leaders are unaware of toxic positivity, even if they unwittingly cultivate it, adds Forbes.
A number of studies and media also advise how to avoid a toxic approach. It is important, experts say, to realize the emotions of others and not just dismiss them with platitudes. You also need to allow yourself to feel sadness or fear without judgment and last but not least, not to rate your emotions as right or wrong.
Too much positive energy online
Toxic positivity is a phenomenon that has gained prominence in modern society, especially with the advent of social media, reports Wyatt in her paper. In this context, international studies note how people are often overwhelmed by an excessive amount of positivity these days, specifically on social media. While a healthy positive outlook acknowledges both the positive and negative aspects of life, the increasingly prevalent notion of toxic positivity in the media, according to the study, suggests that users are using positivity and avoiding negativity for personal gain.
According to the study, individuals are more likely to publish their positive life events that represent some gain for them and avoid sharing the negative aspects of their lives. Although positivity and optimism are seen as beneficial in self-presentation, this is where they can become toxic to other users - when people's social media posts suppress difficult and challenging aspects of their lives, or when positivity is used to put others down or, conversely, to deceptively elevate themselves.
For example, many people with high levels of covert narcissism now fill their social networks with philosophical quotes, slogans about personal growth, or inspirational videos or photos that give the illusion that they are astute and in control of emotional intelligence, according to Tanasugarn. But she describes this as performative behaviour that reinforces a view in which the viewer's potential pain is transformed into personal failure or minimised to overly cheerful platitudes about inspiration. The effects are then twofold: firstly, these individuals use these types of videos and posts to suggest that they are too 'positive' to hurt their audience, while at the same time dismissing the real feelings and needs of those watching.
Toxic positivity in film and fashion
Toxic positivity does not avoid the film industry, but it is not necessarily intentional. It can be found in romantic comedies, family films, sports dramas or children's films. The Oscar-winning animated film In Your Head (2015) provides an example.
The main character is a carefree girl Riley and her emotions that live in her head: Joy, Fear, Anger, Resistance and Sadness. And it is Joy that controls the girl to be happy all the time. "We identify Joy as the unspoken leader; the kind we might have encountered in group projects or organized play when we were kids. We're not sure how it happened that they were the ones calling the shots, but it happened and they seemed to be doing pretty well, so we let it go," writes UK website Independent.
Joy tries to suppress or ignore other emotions in Riley, especially Sadness, because negative emotions are not desirable. Her attempts to keep Sadness, and to some extent the remaining emotions, at bay for the sake of keeping Riley smiling often slip sharply into a toxic positive attitude, the site pointed out in this regard.
The viewer then sees a moment in the film when the character of Sadness reproaches himself for almost touching on basic memories, and Joy declares, "You can't focus on what's going wrong. There's always a way to change things and find joy in them."
Joy only finds out later that sometimes you have to really focus on what went wrong in order to process your feelings and resolve the problem in a healthy way. Ultimately, the film shows that all emotions, including sadness, have a role to play and are important for psychological balance.
Toxic positivity has become a part of lives not only at work, on the Internet or in the cinema. This phenomenon is also known in fashion, as the British website reminds us. Simple T-shirts with the words "Be Happy", "Good vibes only", "Just smile" and others were popular in the 1980s and 1990s. They also saw a big boom on the streets with the massive growth of social media, especially between 2014 and 2018. Many people wore them whether they liked the slogans or some wanted to use them to express their "inner world view" or attitudes. Mugs, for example, are no exception, where slogans can also be found. However, this does not necessarily mean that it is toxic positivity, according to experts.
Source: A European Perspective, CT
Originally published by Denisa Šindlerová on 16 February 2026 07:01 GMT+1