Norms Are Everywhere.

I came across an article in Radio Sweden titled "Organic food sales up 40 percent last year," that talks about how where Swedes "once bought organic for environmental reasons... they often buy organic now for health reasons." This article makes me think about how often we are encountering norms in our everyday life – and being influenced (positively and negatively) when we are not present and mindful about what we are experiencing. Norms literacy – and awareness - are skills we can hone. We can then take time to pause and extract meaning from our environments so that we interact in intelligent, proactive ways. The Science of the Positive process is the foundation of the Positive Community Norms framework. Positive Community Norms are much more prevalent in the media and news stories than we realize. We become actors rather than just re-actors when we can see and understand these ‘hidden influences.’ Watch the news and read the newspaper today with an eye for how normative statements and assumptions show up. They are always there. Do you have any examples of normative statements and assumptions you've encountered recently that you would like to share? If so, please do so in the Comments section below. Thanks. 

(Photo - http://everywhereagency.com/)