Dr. Gary Zomalt: The benefits of positive emotional granularity

Cheerfulness is the best promoter of health, and is as friendly to the mind as to the body.

–Joseph Addison

Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: NatalyaKorotkova

Psychotherapists like Dr. Gary Zomalt state that optimism is directly proportional to stable health. Studies have revealed that positive emotions serve a buffering function and provide an effective antidote to the stresses associated with negative emotions and poor health.


Positive emotional granularity or the tendency to represent experiences of positive emotion with precision and specificity is one good measure to determine the physical and psychological health of an individual. Highly “granular” individuals have the ability to set aside negative emotions and can manage their problems effectively. Individuals with “less granularity,” on the other hand, can hardly express positive emotions when distressful events wreak havoc in their lives. They tend to exude unhealthy responses and are therefore prone to depression, heart disorders, and anxiety, among other conditions.

Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: Smart Recovery

Psychotherapists like Dr. Gary Zomalt believe that individuals with higher positive emotional granularity consider problems as manageable rather than stressful, and are more likely to develop coping mechanisms thoroughly rather than respond impulsively. Hence, they tend to have a more stable health because they are able to use their personal resources efficiently.


Accommodating positive emotions amid adversity could provide the much needed psychological rest an individual has to acquire in replenishing and restoring further coping efforts.

From Gary Zomalt

For more information about Dr. Gary Zomalt, visit his Facebook page.