Regenerative (vs. degenerative)

This belief concerns the universe’s default, natural tendency that permeates most things and situations. If left to its own devices, what typically happens? Do most things and situations naturally heal, stabilize, and strengthen or is the natural tendency of all things to devolve, weaken, and decay.

Bad health is the primary reason for all life. Created by disease, within putrefaction, into decay.

— Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom!, 1962

This is one of the few primals that is central to Safe while also being quite related to Enticing. Thus, as expected, it is especially important to seeing the world as a Good place, which is largely a combination of seeing the world as both Safe and Enticing. Only Pleasurable is more related to Good.

Based on initial correlational research as well as theoretical speculation, seeing the world as a regenerative place is crucial for being an optimistic person. It is very difficult to expect most things and situations to work out if you have the underlying belief that most things and situations tend to decay and fall apart.

Furthermore, a study in 2025 found that seeing the world as Regenerative is one of three primals that helped people be resilient when facing negative life events like illness and violence.

This makes good sense, because it’s easier to think a situation will get better if you see the world as a place that tends to regenerate on its own, rather than fall apart. The other two primals that help are Just and Improvable. More research needs to be done.