Losada line
Encyclopedia
The Losada Line, also known as the "Losada ratio," was found by psychologist Marcial Losada
while researching the differences in positivity/negativity between high and low performance teams (Losada, 1999, 2004). The Losada Line has a positivity/negativity ratio
of 2.9013 and it represents the lower bound of the Losada Zone
. It was corroborated by Barbara Fredrickson, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in individuals and by Waugh and Fredrickson in relationships (Waugh & Fredrickson, 2006). They found that the Losada Line separates people who are able to reach a complex understanding of others from those who do not. People who "flourish" are above the Losada Line, and those who "languish" are below it (Fredrickson & Losada, 2005; Fredrickson, 2009). The Losada Line bifurcates the type of dynamics that are possible for an interactive human system. Below it, we find limiting dynamics represented by fixed-point attractors; at or above it, we find innovative dynamics represented by complex order attractors (complexor
).
Marcial Losada
Marcial Losada is the founder and executive director of Meta Learning, a consulting organization that develops high performance teams. As director of the Center for Advanced Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he developed a novel approach to study working teams...
while researching the differences in positivity/negativity between high and low performance teams (Losada, 1999, 2004). The Losada Line has a positivity/negativity ratio
Positivity/negativity ratio
Positivity and negativity are powerful feedback processes in human behavior. Positive feedback encourages us to continue doing what we have done so far. Negative feedback, on the contrary, generally acts as a warning signal that tells us to moderate or stop what we are doing and to redress the...
of 2.9013 and it represents the lower bound of the Losada Zone
Losada Zone
The Losada Zone refers to a range of positivity/negativity ratio in human interaction defined by a lower limit of 2.9013 and an upper limit of 11.6345. These limits define the boundary conditions for complex dynamics in human interaction. Complex dynamics occur at or above the Losada Line and...
. It was corroborated by Barbara Fredrickson, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in individuals and by Waugh and Fredrickson in relationships (Waugh & Fredrickson, 2006). They found that the Losada Line separates people who are able to reach a complex understanding of others from those who do not. People who "flourish" are above the Losada Line, and those who "languish" are below it (Fredrickson & Losada, 2005; Fredrickson, 2009). The Losada Line bifurcates the type of dynamics that are possible for an interactive human system. Below it, we find limiting dynamics represented by fixed-point attractors; at or above it, we find innovative dynamics represented by complex order attractors (complexor
Complexor
In chaos theory a complexor is mathematically equivalent to a chaotic attractor. The word was coined by Marcial Losada , derived from the words "complex order"....
).
External links
- http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/2009/11/01/marcial-losada-explains-his-research-for-our-blog-readers/
- http://PositivePsychologyNews.com/news/guest-author/200812081289
- http://PositivePsychologyNews.com/news/guest-author/200812091298
- http://endlessknots.netage.com/endlessknots/2009/04/the-algorithm-for-happiness31.html
- http://www.utne.com/Spirituality/Finding-Happiness-Cultivating-Positive-Emotions-Psychology.aspx
- http://losada.socialpsychology.org