According to journalist and best-selling author Barbara Ehrenreich, putting on a smile does not always make you happier.
Last night, Ehrenreich visited College Hall to give the Judith R. Berkowitz Lecture in Women’s Studies. Ehrenrich discussed her experience with breast cancer, her unconventional views on positive thinking and her upcoming book, Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America.
Known primarily for her candid social criticism and wry humor, Ehrenreich delivered an unconventional argument against our obsession with “positive thinking,” exemplified by the “sappy pink ribbons” that draped the room.
According to Ehrenreich, our society’s bombardment with constant pressure to “put a smile on” and a belief that “life is good” — the name of a company with which she expressed particular frustration — emerge as the strongest sources of negativity in our society.
Drawing on her recent experiences with breast cancer and her observations on the state of the victims of the economic crisis, Ehrenreich noted how, in both situations, obsession with positivity actually resulted in an increase in personal responsibility and proneness to failure.
Citing recent popular self- help books, particular targets of Ehrenreich’s criticism, she emphasized the falsity of our cultural emphasis on the power of positive thinking to improve any situation.
“We have nothing to offer those people,” she said. “Positive thinking won’t repair [real problems].”
However, Ehrenreich stressed that she did not come to speak as an advocate of negativity. Instead, she presented an alternative of honesty and pragmatism: “Try to get outside of yourself and your own feelings and see the world as it truly is.”
After Ehrenreich’s lecture, College junior Ria Bharadwaj said, “she has a way of forcing us to look at our mainstream thought in a way we might not usually.”
However, not everyone was prepared to reject positivity completely.
“There’s something to be said for being positive,” said College junior Carly Levitz. “It may not bring you the things you want, but it can make the journey easier.”
