Positive orientation (PO) is a theoretical construct that reflects the inclination to positively appraise the future (optimism), present life (life satisfaction), and present self (self-esteem). Empirically, this inclination has been proven to be beneficial to human functioning. This research aims to expand the current understanding of PO by administering brief measures of optimism, life satisfaction, and self-esteem to a large sample recruited from Malaysia. Factor analysis confirmed the presence of a construct that represents PO. Subsequent analysis revealed that PO negatively predicted depression, anxiety, and stress. PO remained significant after controlling for the Five-Factor model. This implies that the broad five personality traits did not entirely account for the development of aversive psychological outcomes such as stress, depression, and anxiety. Results also support that PO is protective against these aversive psychological outcomes.

Dr. Lee Soon Li is the Undergraduate Course Director for the Department of Psychology at the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia. His research interests encompass the addictive use of technology, such as smartphone addiction and social media addiction, alongside psychological well-being. Additionally, he is deeply engaged in personality psychology. Dr. Lee's previous publications have delved into the Dark Triad personality traits. Moreover, he is intrigued by positive orientation (PO), a construct that has demonstrated benefits for human functioning. Dr. Lee frequently integrates these diverse research interests to explore novel and insightful research questions. His publications have demonstrated the benefits of PO to psychiatric patients, and how this inclination is beneficial to social well-being without the need to rely on social media. He mainly conducts quantitative research, as he is well-versed in various statistical analysis techniques, including SEM approaches such as PLS-SEM and GSCA.