Is ざるを得ない always negative/reluctant, or can it be neutral?

Question

Textbook example: 「給料が上がらないので、転職せざるを得ない」= 'I have no choice but to change jobs.' Every example I find has this reluctant, forced-by-circumstance tone. Can it ever describe something you're forced into that's actually fine with you, or is the 'against my will' feeling baked into the grammar itself?

Accepted Answer

The 'no other option' logic is core to the grammar, but the emotional coloring depends on context. 「彼の演技を見たら、彼のファンにならざるを得ない」= 'once you see his acting, you can't help but become a fan' — that's positive! The common thread isn't reluctance, it's that the outcome is FORCED by the preceding circumstance, leaving zero room for an alternative conclusion. Negative connotation is just the statistical default because most 'forced' situations in daily conversation are annoying ones.

Answer

呢個例句幾正，即係話核心係「邏輯上冇第二個可能」，唔一定係「唔情願」。