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POSITIVE THINKING

Positive thinking is a mental attitude that admits into the mind thoughts, words and images that are conductive to growth, expansion and success. it is a mental attitude that expects good and favorable results. a positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and a successful outcome of every situation and action.  – powerpoint ppt presentation.

• BY Amlan Roy chowdhury
• Positive thinking is a mental attitude that admits into the mind thoughts, words and images that are conductive to growth, expansion and success. It is a mental attitude that expects good and favorable results. A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and a successful outcome of every situation and action. Whatever the mind expects, it finds.
• It is quite common to hear people say "Think positive!", to someone who feels down and worried. Most people do not take these words seriously, as they do not know what they really mean, or do not consider them as useful and effective. 
• Many people have found that, when they tune in to their internal dialogue, much of it is negative. Thoughts like, I could never do that and What if I fail? can seriously impact the way we behave. Stress, apparently associated with attachment to this negative internal dialogue, in turn, affects every aspect of our lives.
• When we are stressed, specific hormones circulate in the body. Released infrequently, these hormones are harmless, produced continuously, they are associated with serious damage. Cardiovascular disease is related in part to continuous bombardment of stress hormones and arterial damage caused by free radicals created in the process.
• Letting go of attachment to these negative thoughts and emotions is liberating. This is a process in itself that is well worth the effort. Very effective methods to help to place the mind at ease have been developed over thousands of years. Perhaps Meditation would benefit.
•                 When we direct our thoughts properly, we can control our emotions. W. Clement Stone
• In his book "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life," Dr. Daniel Amen talks about "ANTs"  Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like "Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me," or "The boss wants to see me? It must be bad!" or my employees are whispering, they must be up to something mischievous.When you notice these thoughts and realize that they are nothing more than ANTs squash them
• Take care of yourself. 
• As you begin to follow a healthier lifestyle, you are giving yourself the message that you are worth taking care of.  Even if youre not sure yet if you believe that, youll soon start to feel better physically, and that will help you feel more positive.  Exercise several times a week, eat healthy foods, and learn some relaxation techniques for when you need to take a stress break.
• Surround yourself with positive energy. 
• Make sure that the people around you are optimistic in their outlooks.  Nothing is more contagious than negativity, so try to banish it in your environment.
• People around you pick your mental moods and are affected accordingly. Think about happiness, good health and success, and you will cause people to like you and desire to help you, because they enjoy the vibrations that a positive mind emits.
• Nothing is more contagious than negativity, so try to banish it in your environment.
•   Several times a day, take a moment to analyze what youre thinking.  Are you being positive or negative?  If the latter, try to reframe the situation in more positive terms.  By becoming more self-conscious about your negativity, youll learn to curb it.
• Encourage yourself by giving yourself positive affirmations e.g., I am a self-confident individual who has much to offer.  Avoid the use of could-a and should-a messages to yourself. Change what you need to change, and try not to beat yourself up in the process.  Allow a little humor into your talk.  Laughing at yourself and at life does reduce stress.
•                 Like success, failure is many things to many people. With positive mental attitude, failure is a learning experience, a rung on the ladder, and a plateau at which to get your thoughts in order to prepare to try again. W. Clement Stone
• Stresses and challenges don't seem quite as bad when you are constantly reminding yourself of the things that are right in life. Taking just 60 seconds a day to stop and appreciate the good things of life will make a huge difference. When you are down or on the verge of failure close your eyes and remind yourself of intricate problems you have solved in the past. This action will boost your morale to face your challenges in business squarely. Its called drawing inspiration from your past exploits.
• I once failed in my 12th grade and my Father said, Don't worry son failures are the pillars of success . I was immediately elevated to a positive mood and resolved to do better. But then I failed again and father said , Son will you keep building the pillars? Won't you build a house on it? I understood his frustration, but the way he reprimanded me was unique. I never looked back after that.
• THIS IS THE POSITIVE STROKES THAT WE FAIL TO GIVE OUR CHILDREN.
• A fear of not being liked or accepted sometimes leads us to assume that we know what others are thinking, but our fears are usually not reality. If you have a fear that a friend or family member's bad mood is due to something you did, or that your employees are secretly gossiping about you when you turn your back speak up and ask them. Don't waste time worrying that you did something wrong unless you have proof that there is something to worry about.
• Have you ever told a partner "You're ALWAYS late!" or complained to a friend "You NEVER call me!"? Thinking and speaking in absolutes like 'always' and 'never' makes the situation seem worse than it is, and programs your brain into believing that certain people are incapable of delivering. If you want to develop a positive thinking mental attitude, then you need to radiate positivity you need to watch your words.
• I believe this is a little bit self explanatory. Your thoughts can't hold any power over you if you don't judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, witness it and don't follow it.
• You don't have to be an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Positive physical contact with friends, loved ones, and even pets, is an instant pick-me-up.
• By increasing social activity, you decrease loneliness. Surround yourself with healthy, happy people and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way.
• HEALTHY HAPPY PEOPLE. A GOOD LAUGHTER IS POSITIVITY ENHANCED.
• Everyone feels good after helping. You can volunteer your time, your money, or your resources. The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will receive in return. Helping a person in need will lighten your spirit and give you a positive mentality that you are contributing your quota to helping the world.
•                 Be careful of the environment you choose for it will shape you. Be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them. W. Clement Stone
• . Positive or negative attitudes are contagious habits I am sure you dont want to get infected with the negative ones. Severe friendship with pessimist and cynics befriend those with the I can do it kind of attitude.
• you are a product of your environment. You environment will directly or indirectly influence your thoughts and actions.
•                 Why does United States have the highest number of billionaires in the world?
•                 Why does the United States have the highest number of successful immigrants?
• I am neither an American, nor do I reside there but I can feel their patriotism and positive attitude just by watching them on T.V. Its this same positive mental attitude that made a Kenyan in the person of Barrack Obama emerge president of the United States.
• So wheres all these illustrations pointing to? Well, its pointing to one lesson, which is be careful of the environment you choose. If your environment doesnt radiate positivity, please relocate.
• If you find yourself ruminating, a great way to stop it is to interrupt the pattern and force yourself to do something completely different. Rumination is like hyper-focusing on something negative. It's never productive, because it's not rational or solution-oriented, it's just excessive worry. Try changing your physical environment, go for a walk or sit outside. You could also call a friend, pick up a book, or turn on some music. OR LOOK UP AND GAZE AT THE SKY
• (Questions 3, 4, 9, 11)
• Believing that something we are experiencing is either permanent or temporary. A low score implies that you think bad times will carry on forever. A high score shows confidence that you'll be able to get things back on course quickly.
• Pervasiveness
• (Questions 2, 5, 6, 7 and 13)
• Believing that situational factors cause an effect or that the effect is evidence of more universal factors at work. A low score shows that you tend to think that if you've experienced a problem in one place, you'll experience that problem wherever you go.
• Personalization
• (Questions 1, 8, 10, 12 and 14)
• Believing that something about you influenced the outcome or that something external to you caused it. A low score indicates that you tend to blame yourself for bad things, rather than attributing the cause to more general factors.
• Think of it like learning to drive. At first it takes all of your conscious effort to watch all the cars around you, control the steering wheel, peddles, and turn signals, all while trying to figure out what lane to go in and where to turn. But as you keep at it day after day, your subconscious brain learns from all that repetition and eventually takes over. If you've been driving for a while now, consider how much you do without really paying attention. That's your subconscious mind doing the work for you!
• Always use only positive words while thinking and while talking. Use words such as, 'I can', 'I am able', 'it is possible', 'it can be done', etc.Allow into your awareness only feelings of happiness, strength and success.Try to disregard and ignore negative thoughts. Refuse to think such thoughts, and substitute them with constructive happy thoughts.In your conversation use words that evoke feelings and mental images of strength, happiness and success
• Before starting with any plan or action, visualize clearly in your mind its successful outcome. If you visualize with concentration and faith, you will be amazed at the results.Read at least one page of inspiring book every day.Watch movies that make you feel happy.Minimize the time you listen to the news and read the papers.Associate yourself with people who think positively.Always sit and walk with your back straight. This will strengthen your confidence and inner strength.
• Walk, swim or engage in some other physical activity. This helps to develop a more positive attitude.
• Think positive and expect only favorable results and situations, even if your current circumstances are not as you wish them to be. In time, your mental attitude will affect your life and circumstances and change them accordingly.
• THE MOST TRUSTED, AGE OLD METHOD TO TRAIN YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND TO ACHIEVE PEACE TRANQUILITY, AND POSITIVITY
• Sleep more soundly!
• Sleep appears essential to improve and maintain energy levels, immune system effectiveness, mental and emotional clarity and overall well-being. When you feel good, you function better.
• Minimize attaching to mental activity in the evening.
• Make appropriate preparations for the next day.
• Take a hot bath before bedtime to promote ease.
• Soothing fragrances, lights, and music may help as well.
• Limit activities in bed to sleep and intimate encounters only - avoid TV.
• Try listening to repetitive soothing natural sounds (waves, wind, waterfall, stream, etc.) from a selected high quality sound device.
• Natural homeopathic, nutritional and herbal support may prove useful (e.g. calcium, melatonin, passionflower or valerian before bed).
• Turn off all the lights.
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What Is Positive Thinking? +9 Examples of Positive Thoughts

In this article, we’ll address these questions while providing resources to help you cultivate the ability to think more positively. With these insights, you’ll better understand how to swap out negative thoughts for positive ones, grow your wellbeing, and even improve your physical health.

Before we continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free . These science-based exercises explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains:

What is positive thinking in psychology, are there benefits 4 research results, positive thinking and physical health: 5 findings, 9 real-life examples of positive thinking, positive thinking vs. negative thinking, criticisms: what positive thinking is not, our 5 best positive thinking resources, a take-home message.

Broadly speaking, positive thinking can be thought of as positive cognitions. This distinguishes positive thinking from emotions, behaviors, and longer term outcomes like wellbeing or depression.

In the research on positive thinking, an agreed-upon definition is still evolving. For example, Caprara and Steca (2005) suggested that life satisfaction , self-esteem, and optimism were indicators that a person was engaging in positive thinking.

Indeed, these concepts may involve positive thinking, but they are also often thought of as positive outcomes that might result from engaging in positive-thinking strategies.

Others have been more precise about what positive thinking involves. Bekhet and Zauszniewski (2013) outlined eight key skills that contribute to positive thinking that can be recalled easily using the acronym THINKING:

• Transforming negative thoughts into positive thoughts
• Highlighting positive aspects of the situation
• Interrupting pessimistic thoughts by using relaxation techniques and distraction
• Noting the need to practice positive thinking
• Knowing how to break a problem into smaller parts to be manageable
• Initiating optimistic beliefs with each part of the problem
• Nurturing ways to challenge pessimistic thoughts
• Generating positive feelings by controlling negative thoughts

You’ll note that this list includes techniques such as relaxation that may or may not be cognitive.

Other researchers have explored the different dimensions of positive thinking and have suggested that positive thinking can be understood as a construct with four dimensions (Tsutsui & Fujiwara, 2015):

• Self-encouragement thinking This involves thoughts about being one’s own cheerleader.
• Self-assertive thinking This involves thoughts about doing well for others.
• Self-instructive and control thinking This involves thoughts that guide performance.
• Self-affirmative thinking This involves confident thoughts.

As you can see, positive thinking can be defined in different ways. Inconsistent definitions of positive thinking in the research make it difficult to draw clear conclusions about the role of positive thinking in mental health .

For example, Diener et al. (2009) suggest that positive thinking is good for wellbeing, but when positive thinking and wellbeing are measured with the same scales (for example, scales that measure optimism, subjective wellbeing, or life satisfaction), the research may really be saying that something predicts itself, which is not very useful or informative.

Clearer definitions about what positive thinking is and how it’s different from assessments of wellbeing are needed to better understand the actual benefits and importance of positive thinking.

Here we’ll aim to clarify which types of positive thinking are good for mental health and wellbeing and which types might not be so good.

First, positive thinking about the self tends to be good for wellbeing. For example, when people have confidence in their abilities to achieve, they are more likely to succeed and achieve (Taylor & Brown, 1994).

Viewing oneself more positively than others also seems to buffer the effects of stress (Taylor & Brown, 1994). This evidence is mostly consistent with research on self-worth, self-confidence, and self-esteem (Miller Smedema, Catalano, & Ebener, 2010) – processes that may be considered types of positive thinking.

Second, optimistic thoughts are generally thought to be good for wellbeing. It doesn’t seem to matter whether these thoughts are unrealistic or not. Optimistic thinking tends to help people feel better, have more positive social relationships, and cope better with stress (Taylor & Brown, 1994).

Third, positive thoughts or beliefs about control appear to be beneficial. For example, believing that we have control during stressful experiences seems to help us cope better (Taylor & Brown, 1994).

The benefit of positive thoughts about control appears to be consistent with other research on the challenge mindset . When we have a challenge mindset , we believe that we have the skills and ability to handle current stressors. This mindset can be contrasted with a threat mindset , which is characterized by thoughts and beliefs that we can not effectively handle our current stressors (Crum, Akinola, Martin, & Fath, 2017).

The challenge mindset , where we believe we have more control, is more beneficial for us.

Lastly, a general positive outlook toward life, oneself, and the future is considered so beneficial that it is often considered a part of wellbeing itself (Caprara & Steca, 2005). As the philosopher René Descartes once said:

I think, therefore I am.

This seems true when it comes to positive thinking; if we think we feel good, then we do.

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Research has begun to provide compelling evidence for a link between positive thinking and physical health. Namely optimism, which is often considered a type of positive thought, seems to contribute to positive health outcomes. For example, Scheier and Carver (1987) linked optimism to fewer physical ailments such as coughs, fatigue, muscle soreness, and dizziness.

Optimists also seemed to recover faster from coronary artery bypass surgery (Scheier & Carver, 1987). Other evidence points to the potential impact of positive thinking on cardiovascular health, including better blood pressure and lower risk for heart attacks.

Positive thinking also seems to improve the quality of life among cancer patients and can be protective against the common cold, allergies, and other immune system issues (Naseem & Khalid, 2010). Furthermore, AIDS-specific optimism is related to active coping (Taylor et al., 1992).

Although there are many benefits of positive thinking on health, there appears to be one key caveat. Urging patients with severe illness to think positively about extremely negative situations can be too big of an ask.

Psychological support that includes positive thinking can place an unnecessary burden on already struggling patients. So it’s important to keep in mind that positive thinking is just one of many potentially successful strategies and shouldn’t be forced upon individuals who don’t feel like it’s a good fit for them (Rittenberg, 1995).

Past-focused positive thinking

Past-focused thinking that is negative or pessimistic may contribute to greater depression. Shifting these thoughts to be more positive can help us move past bad things that happened in the past.

Here are examples of past-focused positive thoughts that put a positive spin on the past while still acknowledging the difficult situation:

• “I did the best I could.”
• “That job interview went badly, but at least I learned what to do differently next time.”
• “I know my childhood wasn’t perfect, but my parents did the best they could.”

Present-focused positive thinking

Present-focused positive thinking can help us cope more effectively with our current challenges, decrease our stress, and potentially improve our life satisfaction.

Here are some examples of present-focused positive thoughts:

• “I’m so lucky to have my friend Jane who really cares about me.”
• “That breakfast was so tasty and beautiful, and I enjoyed it immensely.”
• “Even though I may make mistakes, I always try my best.”

Future-focused positive thinking

Future-focused thinking that is negative or pessimistic may contribute to greater worry or anxiety. Shifting these thoughts to be more positive can help us stay more present and stop generating negative emotions about things that haven’t even happened yet.

Here are some examples of future-focused positive thoughts:

• “It’s all going to turn out fine.”
• “I can’t wait to go to that event next week.”
• “I will continue to work toward my goals, so I know that my future is going to be great.”

By focusing positive thinking backward, in the moment, and forward, we can use it to resolve different types of negative thoughts and potentially improve multiple aspects of wellbeing.

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Like positive thinking, negative thinking is not a clear-cut construct. But as a relatively simple example, optimism is often contrasted with pessimism.

When it comes to performance, both optimism and pessimism are equally effective. More specially, a person who is a defensive pessimist does better when using one strategy, and a person who is a strategic optimist does better when using another. That means that negative thoughts can help some people in some circumstances (Norem & Chang, 2002).

When it comes to wellbeing, optimists tend to be in a better mood, while pessimists tend to be higher in anxiety (Norem & Chang, 2002). But simply inducing a more positive mood in pessimists doesn’t just hurt their performance, it makes them more  anxious.

Defensive pessimists do and feel better when they’re allowed to explore potentially negative outcomes – this helps them manage their anxiety more effectively. Furthermore, defensive pessimists have better outcomes than other anxious people who are not pessimists.

All this is to say that ridding people of their pessimism is not only unhelpful, but it may also be harmful (Norem & Chang, 2002). So what does one do with negative thinking?

In the case of pessimists, it may be better not to force them into positive thinking. To them, it may feel like trying to put a square peg into a round hole. Instead, it may be more helpful to explore whether negative thoughts are functional, useful, and beneficial.

It may be helpful to record negative thoughts to understand why they appear and how they affect other emotions and behaviors. Use our Dysfunctional Thought Record Worksheet to do this, as it will help explore negative thought triggers and practice making thoughts more adaptive.

This doesn’t mean these new thoughts have to be positive, just more helpful. Furthermore, you can access our Getting Rid of ANTS: Automatic Negative Thoughts Worksheet  as well.

First, excessive positive emotion may actually harm wellbeing. For example, Dr. June Gruber’s research suggests that too much positive emotion can be a risk factor for mania (Gruber, Johnson, Oveis, & Keltner, 2008).

Furthermore, thinking excessively about happiness has also been linked to lower wellbeing. Especially, setting unreasonably high standards for happiness and frequently thinking about one’s own emotional state have been linked to lower happiness (Ford & Mauss, 2014). This research suggests that there may be some aspects of positive thinking that are not good for us.

Another common criticism of positive thinking is that it’s an inappropriate, and possibly ineffective, strategy in some situations – for example, in response to the death of a loved one (Bonanno & Burton, 2013).

Further research has shown that cognitive reappraisal, which involves thinking about the positives or silver linings of a situation, can help in some situations and hurt in others. More specifically, using this positive thinking strategy was actually associated with higher depression in situations that were controllable (Troy, Shallcross, & Mauss, 2013). This suggests that positive thinking may not be an effective strategy in all situations.

Another criticism centers around particular types of positive thinking that are not based on science. For example, experts in the field of psychology generally consider “the law of attraction,” which suggests that believing in something will make it so, to be pseudoscience, not based on scientific methods.

In fact, these types of beliefs are considered magical thinking, and research has shown that greater familiarity with the law of attraction is associated with higher depression (Jones, 2019). So it’s important to keep in mind that positive thinking can be a useful tool in some circumstances and may contribute to optimism, positive outcomes, and wellbeing, but it’s not magic.

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Here are some resources to help you learn more about positive thinking and build positive thinking skills.

Radical self-love cards

This worksheet helps you build a deck of self-affirmation cards. These can help cultivate more self-focused positive thoughts.

Grab the Stacking the Deck worksheet for guidelines.

Reverse the Rabbit Hole

Those of us with anxiety know that thoughts take on a mind of their own and take us along for the ride.

By considering positive outcomes, you may be able to derail this process and get out of the anxiety rabbit hole.

Grab the Reverse the Rabbit Hole worksheet to get started.

Paying attention to positive events

It’s human nature to pay more attention to the negative than the positive. But if we’re always just focusing on the bad stuff, we never get around to noticing and appreciating the good stuff.

Make an effort to pay more attention to the positive in life. Grab our Skills for Regulating Emotions worksheet  to learn more.

I’m Great Because…

Sometimes we are self-critical because we just haven’t spent the time to think about what is great about us. Reflecting on our good qualities can make positive thinking easier.

Check out our I’m Great Because… worksheet for some prompts.

My Love Letter to Myself

Exploring our positive qualities and working to better understand how they benefit us can help us value ourselves more.

To build this self-insight, take a peek at our My Love Letter to Myself worksheet .

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Positive thinking has been of interest to psychologists for some time. Still, a mutually agreed-upon definition of positive thinking remains elusive.

Regardless of how positive thinking is measured, it appears to impact both mental and physical health positively.

Further, many useful resources are available to help people build their positive thinking skills.

Overall, the research suggests that cultivating positive thinking in counseling, therapy, or on your own is indeed a worthwhile endeavor. We trust our resources will be beneficial in guiding you on a more positive path.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free .

• Bekhet, A. K., & Zauszniewski, J. A. (2013). Measuring use of positive thinking skills: Psychometric testing of a new scale. Western Journal of Nursing Research , 35 (8), 1074–1093.
• Bonanno, G. A., & Burton, C. L. (2013). Regulatory flexibility: An individual differences perspective on coping and emotion regulation. Perspectives on Psychological Science , 8 (6), 591–612.
• Caprara, G. V., & Steca, P. (2005). Affective and social self-regulatory efficacy beliefs as determinants of positive thinking and happiness. European Psychologist , 10 (4), 275–286.
• Crum, A. J., Akinola, M., Martin, A., & Fath, S. (2017). The role of stress mindset in shaping cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses to challenging and threatening stress. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping , 30 (4), 379–395.
• Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Biswas-Diener, R., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, D. W., & Oishi, S. (2009). New measures of well-being. In E. Diener, Assessing well-being: The collected works of Ed Diener. (pp. 247–266). Springer.
• Ford, B., & Mauss, I. (2014). The paradoxical effects of pursuing positive emotion. In J. Gruber & J. T. Moskowitz (Eds.),  Positive emotion: Integrating the light sides and dark sides (pp. 363–382). Oxford University Press.
• Gruber, J., Johnson, S. L., Oveis, C., & Keltner, D. (2008). Risk for mania and positive emotional responding: Too much of a good thing? Emotion , 8 (1), 23–33.
• Jones, B. (2019). If you think it you can achieve it: The relationship between goal specificity and magical thinking. Murray State Theses and Dissertations, 140.
• Naseem, Z., & Khalid, R. (2010). Positive thinking in coping with stress and health outcomes: Literature review. Journal of Research & Reflections in Education , 4 (1).
• Norem, J. K., & Chang, E. C. (2002). The positive psychology of negative thinking. Journal of Clinical Psychology , 58 (9), 993–1001.
• Miller Smedema, S., Catalano, D., & Ebener, D. J. (2010). The relationship of coping, self-worth, and subjective well-being: A structural equation model. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin , 53 (3), 131–142.
• Rittenberg, C. N. (1995). Positive thinking: An unfair burden for cancer patients? Supportive Care in Cancer , 3 (1), 37–39.
• Scheier, M. E., & Carver, C. S. (1987). Dispositional optimism and physical well‐being: The influence of generalized outcome expectancies on health. Journal of Personality , 55 (2), 169–210.
• Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1994). Positive illusions and well-being revisited: Separating fact from fiction.  Psychological Bulletin , 116 (1), 21–27.
• Taylor, S. E., Kemeny, M. E., Aspinwall, L. G., Schneider, S. G., Rodriguez, R., & Herbert, M. (1992). Optimism, coping, psychological distress, and high-risk sexual behavior among men at risk for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 63 (3), 460.
• Troy, A. S., Shallcross, A. J., & Mauss, I. B. (2013). A person-by-situation approach to emotion regulation: Cognitive reappraisal can either help or hurt, depending on the context. Psychological Science , 24 (12), 2505–2514.
• Tsutsui, K., & Fujiwara, M. (2015). The relationship between positive thinking and individual characteristics: Development of the Soccer Positive Thinking Scale. Football Science , 12 , 74–83.

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What our readers think.

Negative thinking is clearly unhelpful and unhealthy. But critical thinking—deep reflection, informed by research — is increasingly important in an age of opinion-based blogs, or “created content “ copy-and-pasted from unknown sources. This seems especially true when talking about positive thinking. Can we convince critical thinkers (also some of the most negative thinkers?) to be more positive through empty platitudes or anecdotal evidence?

A big stumbling block for me here is the interpretation of René Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am.” to mean “if we think we feel good, then we do”. I hate to be a downer, but this is a superficial misinterpretation of the original quote. I wouldn’t mind so much, but Cartesian philosophy is such a major contributor to our ongoing (mis)understanding of the brain, mind, reality. Please don’t undermine the otherwise wonderful ideas presented here and alienate critical thinkers. Positive psychology needs to convince them too!

The Affective Neuroscience of Positive Thinking

Positive thinking ‘works’, but works best ‘affectively’ when performed persistently while in a relaxed state. Below is the neuroscience behind this simple idea, which can be easily tested if one gives this slight modification of positive thinking a try.

And it all has to do with the neuroscience of pleasure. Unlike other functions in the brain, from perception to thinking, the neural source of our pleasures are localized in the brain as specialized groups of nerve cells or ‘nuclei’, or ‘hot spots’, located in the mid-brain. These nuclei receive inputs from different sources in the nervous system, from proprioceptive stimuli (neuro-muscular activity) to interoceptive stimuli (satiation and deprivation) to cognitive stimuli (novel positive or negative means-end expectancies), and all modulate the activity of these nuclei which release or inhibit endogenous opioids that elicit the rainbow of pleasures which mark our day.

For example, relaxation induces opioid activity and is pleasurable, but tension inhibits it and is painful. Similarly, satiation inhibits our pleasure when we eat, and deprivation or hunger increases it. Finally, positive novel means-ends expectancies enhance our pleasures, and negative expectancies inhibit them. Thus, for our sensory pleasures (eating, drinking), watching an exciting movie makes popcorn taste better than when watching a dull or depressing movie. This also applies to when we are relaxed, as thinking or performing meaningful activity is reflected in ‘flow’ or ‘peak’ experiences when we are engaging in highly meaningful behavior while relaxed. (Meaning will be defined as anticipated or current behavior that has branching novel positive implications, such as creating art, doing good deeds or productive work)

But again, don’t mind this verbiage, just prove it to yourself Just get relaxed using a relaxation protocol such as progressive muscle relaxation, eyes closed rest, or mindfulness, and then follow it by exclusively attending to or performing meaningful activity, or in other words, positive thinking, and avoiding all meaningless activity or ‘distraction’. Keep it up and you will not only stay relaxed, but continue so with a greater sense of wellbeing or pleasure. The attribution of affective value to meaningful behavior makes the latter seem ‘autotelic’, or reinforcing in itself, and the resultant persistent attention to meaning crowds out the occasions we might have spent dwelling on other unmeaningful worries and concerns.

References:

Rauwolf, P., et al. (2021) Reward uncertainty – as a ‘psychological salt’- can alter the sensory experience and consumption of high-value rewards in young healthy adults. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General (prepub) https://doi.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fxge0001029

A more formal explanation from a neurologically based learning theory of this technique is provided on pp. 44-51 in a little open-source book on the psychology of rest linked below. (The flow experience is discussed on pp. 81-86.) https://www.scribd.com/doc/284056765/The-Book-of-Rest-The-Odd-Psychology-of-Doing-Nothing

More on the Neuroscience of Pleasure Berridge Lab, University of Michigan https://lsa.umich.edu/psych/research&labs/berridge/research/affectiveneuroscience.html

The article seemed well written, though there were a few places where the writing seemed unclear to me.

I would recommend, though, that the author consider the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza, whose programs reach millions every year. It would be wonderful for this article to include some of his research findings about the placebo effect. His work has been scientifically validated to the point that NIH has approached him with the hope of studying his work. I feel that without looking at Dr. Dispenza’s work, it is a disservice to belittle the Law Of Attraction, as it represents a lack of understanding of ‘The Field’. It would also be so helpful to include a consideration of the work of Lynne McTaggart, a UK researcher, who is changing the planet with her understanding of how to use group intention to create change in the physical world. Dr. Joe Dispenza’s and Lynne McTaggart’s work are by no means pseudo-science, as this author would seem to imply by her comment. I felt that the author was relying far more on studies that are 15, and even 33 years old, rather than looking at the scientific knowledge we have available today. As a result, the article felt quite ‘outdated’ to me.

Good day Maryanne,

You mention a few interesting points! As always, we encourage comments and insights from our readers and appreciate the sharing of your thoughts.

Best regards, Annelé

I like it because it gives a new dimension for thinking about past present and future and also because it helps me a lot to understand how mind works in a tough situation . So I’d like to register my appreciation for the useful content of this article

This article is very useful .

Self – encouragement thinking,self – assertive thinking,self – instructive and control thinking self affirmative thinking in four points very useful words.Positive thinking very important life…very importance of positive thinking good for mental health…positive thinking about the self tends to be good for well being.Positive thinking improve the quality of life.Future focused Positive thinking Resources….very nice.Thankyou Wishes By.TWINKLE M.SHOWZHANEEM

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The Power of Positive Thinking

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