Absorb the Negative. Reflect the Positive.

As a student of Mechanical Engineering, I remember studying principles of heat transfer. One of the methods of heat transfer is radiation, where energy is essentially transferred as electromagnetic waves. Don’t think nuclear radiation… think light. Like the sun, which warms the distant earth, even though it isn’t touching it physically (conduction) or warming up the space between them (convection). There are a lot of formulas and coefficients that you can use to model radiation mathematically, and each material has properties that define how good it is at absorbing or reflecting that radiation.

I like to think of the way that humans influence each other’s attitudes like radiation. We are all broadcasting these vibes through our interactions with others, and we are all influenced by the vibes of others. But unlike materials, we have the capacity to change the degree to which we absorb or reflect the vibes of others. It’s a choice.

If we reflect positivity, we make our environments happier and healthier. If we reflect negativity, we make our environments tense and dark. 

We cannot control the vibes coming our way, but can choose what to absorb and reflect. Want to improve the net happiness in the world (or at least, your little part of it)? Absorb the negative and reflect the positive.