Nurturing POSITIVE EMOTIONS in Education
- Kristijan Musek Lešnik
- Nov 15, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Positive emotions broaden attention, deepen creativity, and support better health and performance. The ability to experience and cultivate joy, love, serenity, curiosity, gratitude, hope... is the emotional fuel of a flourishing life.
One of the key pillars of psychological well-being in Seligman’s PERMA model is our capacity to experience and cultivate positive emotions. Feelings such as joy, love, serenity, curiosity, gratitude, and hope act as the emotional fuel of a flourishing life.
Positive Emotions and Happiness
People who intentionally focus their attention on positive feelings hold a meaningful advantage. The ability to notice, savor, and reflect on pleasant emotions has far-reaching benefits — boosting learning, creativity, work performance, and even physical health.
A positive emotional outlook — seeing our past, present, and future through a lens of gratitude and hope — enriches relationships, strengthens motivation, and encourages personal growth. This orientation is closely connected to optimism, which research consistently links to better mental and physical well-being.
Why Less Pleasant and Unpleasant Emotions Still Matter
Feeling the full range of human emotions — including the uncomfortable ones — is a sign of psychological health. Fear, anger, and sadness each serve important functions. They alert us to danger, signal injustice, and help us process loss.
Emphasizing positive emotions in schools and preschools does not mean ignoring or suppressing negative ones. Rather, it means creating environments where pleasant emotions can thrive, while also helping children (and adults) learn how to gently shift their attention toward what strengthens, uplifts, and restores them. Focusing on the positive aspects of life supports us through difficult moments, helps us persist despite challenges, and encourages courage and resilience. At the same time, dwelling too intensely on negative events can increase the risk of anxiety and depression.
But this must never lead children or young people to believe that unpleasant emotions are “wrong,” shameful, or less acceptable. These feelings are a natural and necessary part of being human — and learning to understand and handle them with compassion is just as important as cultivating joy or gratitude.
Positive Emotions in Preschool and School
In education, it is essential to give children and young people opportunities to experience and express pleasant emotions. Feelings of joy, calmness, satisfaction, and pride build a sense of confidence and competence — the inner belief that “I can do this.” When students enjoy what they are doing, they stay engaged and persistent, even when the task becomes challenging. Positive emotions also spark creativity and imagination. The best example? Play.
There is also a strong connection between the emotional climate of teachers and that of students. When educators feel calm, supported, and inspired, their emotional state naturally ripples outward — shaping the atmosphere of the entire group.
Some researchers believe that mirror-neuron systems help us “pick up” the emotions of people around us. When we notice someone’s facial expression, posture, or tone of voice, our brain can subtly mirror their emotional state.
In classrooms, this matters greatly. A calm, warm, and encouraging teacher can positively influence the emotional climate of the entire group, while prolonged stress or negativity can spread just as quickly. Emotions are contagious — and this makes the emotional presence of adults one of the most powerful tools for supporting well-being and learning.
Practical Reflection: Influencing Our Own Emotions
Feelings are our internal responses to life — but that doesn't mean we should just passively experience them. We can gently influence what we feel, both by creating situations that invite pleasant emotions and by directing our attention more consciously.
We can nurture positive feelings toward:
The past – by practicing gratitude and forgiveness
The present – by noticing small moments of joy and savoring them
The future – by cultivating hope, curiosity, and optimism
Of course, this influence has its limits. Our natural tendency toward positive or negative emotion — called affective disposition — differs from person to person and is partly shaped by genetics. Still, even small, consistent shifts in awareness can make a meaningful difference in how we experience our days.
What Research Shows
Experiencing more positive emotions strengthens our physical, intellectual, social, and psychological resources.
Positive emotions can buffer the effects of negative ones and increase psychological resilience.
People who experience frequent positive emotions recover faster from illness.
In Essence
Positive emotions are not mere moments of pleasure — they are the quiet architects of resilience and growth. The research shows that:
experiencing more positive emotions strengthens our physical, intellectual, social, and psychological resources,
positive emotions can buffer the effects of negative ones and increase psychological resilience,
people who experience frequent positive emotions recover faster from illness.
Positive emotions expand our perspective, energize learning, and help us see the world — and ourselves — through eyes of hope. In every classroom, workplace, and family, the journey toward flourishing can begin with one simple question: What can bring a little more joy today?
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