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How does an electric field affect a positive charge?

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When a positive charge is placed in an electric field, it experiences an electric force defined by the equation $𝐅 = q 𝐄$ , where $q$ is the charge and $𝐄$ is the electric field strength.12

The effect on the positive charge can be summarized as follows:

Direction of Force: The force exerted on a positive charge is in the same direction as the electric field itself. By convention, the direction of an electric field is defined as the direction of the force that would be exerted on a positive test charge.1
Potential Energy: In terms of electric potential, a positive charge experiences a force directed opposite to the gradient of the potential—meaning it is pushed toward regions where the potential decreases most rapidly.34
Motion: If free to move, a positive charge will be accelerated by this force, tending to move away from areas of higher potential toward areas of lower potential.34