"Self-scaring" has long been a way to unite people, giving them a sense of belonging and boosting feelings of power, says Margee Kerr, a sociologist who specialises in fear.
Researchers at Oxford University say that watching traumatic films boosts feelings of group bonding, as well as increasing pain tolerance by upping levels of feel-good, pain-killing chemicals produced in the brain.
In Study 1, confidence ratings were debiased by an affirmation manipulation designed to boost feelings of self-worth.
The brain stimulation treatments were originally designed to treat depression by boosting feelings of happiness and engagement, which motivate "approach" behaviors such as exploring the world and interacting with friends.
Earlier this year, University College London and the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies published an academic paper that detailed how VR therapy could reduce depressive symptoms by boosting feelings of self-compassion.
It's common knowledge that pure sunlight can boost feelings of happiness and combat depression, but did you know that it can lower your blood pressure?
In boosting feelings of compassion, the meditation led to improvements in resting vagal tone (which can be used to assess the degree of activity in the automatic nervous system).
Studies suggest that nostalgia ― like flipping through photos of you and your brothers and sisters growing up ― can boost feelings of optimism and have a positive effect on your emotions.
In it, she revealed her devotion to the practice of transcendental meditation -- a type of meditation that employs the use of a mantra and is known for reducing stress and boosting feelings of well-being.
