Positive thinking is the idea that you can change your life by thinking positively about things.
This idea can sound a bit soft and fluffy, which is something of a problem for many people who recognise that just thinking good thoughts won’t change the world and therefore discard the whole idea.
People often focus on what they want, and not on what they already have. Do you find yourself wishing for this and that, and take what you have for granted? Rather than thinking of what you wish you could have, why not first take some time to reflect on what you have right now? Express gratitude for everything you have in your life. However, research shows that positive thinking really does have a scientific basis. You can’t change the world, but you can change how you perceive it and how you react to it. And that can change the way that you feel about yourself and others, which can in turn have a huge effect on your well-being.
The Effect of Negative Thinking
To understand the effect of positive thinking, it’s helpful to think about negative thinking first.
Most negative emotions, such as fear or anger, are designed to help with survival. They cause us to take swift and effective action to save ourselves from whatever is threatening us. This means that they also prevent us from being distracted by other things around us. So far, so good, in survival terms. If there’s a bear standing in front of you, you don’t want to stop to pick flowers. But negative thinking is not so great in more modern settings. If you’ve got a lot to do, and you’re worried that you won’t get it all done, the last thing you need is for your brain to shut down and focus only on how long your ‘To Do’ list has got.
Negative thinking is a habit, something you can train your brain to avoid.
Constant negative thinking can make you much more likely to be stressed and can lead to more serious problems, like depression.
The Power of Positive Thinking
Barbara Fredrickson, a researcher at the University of North Carolina, carried out a classic experiment with five groups of people where she showed each group images designed to provoke a different emotional response.
- Group 1 saw images designed to trigger feelings of joy;
- Group 2’s images were selected to make them feel contented;
- Group 3’s images were neutral;
- Group 4 saw images to make them afraid; and
- Group 5 saw a series of images designed to make them angry.
Each group was then asked to write down what actions they would take in a situation that created similar feelings. Groups 4 and 5 wrote down significantly fewer actions than the other groups. Groups 1 and 2 wrote down the most actions. In other words, feeling positive emotions helps you to identify more possibilities and options in your life. But what is perhaps even more interesting is that these extra possibilities and options seem to translate into action. People who think more positively are more likely to do things to deliver on those options. They build new skills and develop existing ones, so that they genuinely have more options in life.
Positive Thinking in Practice: The Placebo Effect
High quality trials for new medicines and therapies compare a treatment group, which receives the new treatment, with a ‘control group’ that does not. But as a general rule, these control groups do not just have ‘no treatment’. Instead, they receive a ‘placebo’, that is, a treatment substitute which looks like the real thing, but has no physical effect. Examples of placebos include sugar pills or flavored water instead of genuine tablets or medicines.
Why do they receive a placebo? Because of the power of positive thinking...
The ‘Placebo Effect’ is a well-documented phenomenon in medicine, in which those who think that they are being given a new and effective treatment are more likely to recover than those who know that their treatment is nothing new.
The placebo effect may sound extraordinary, but it has been seen time and time again in clinical trials.
The lessons are twofold:
- New treatments have to ‘beat’ placebos to be sure that they have a real effect; and
- The mind is an extremely powerful tool and, if at all possible, healthcare practitioners should help their patients to draw on it.
A positive attitude will probably not cure cancer in itself. But positive thinking will make it easier to manage your life, reduce stress, and also help you to take care of yourself better. And those things are important to help you recover from serious diseases.
Once you can acknowledge and be thankful for what you have, then you can move on to ask for more. Sit down and make a long list of what you have. Firstly, list the members of your immediate family and close friends. Next to each name, write down 3 positive words to describe them. This is a wonderful way to really think of what these people mean to you. Now make a list of your strengths and your talents. What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? Every one of us was given gifts - our own special gifts. And this is what makes each of us so unique! Write down the ways in which your talents and strengths have allowed you to achieve particular goals in your life. Acknowledge your talents and make sure that you use them regularly to benefit yourself and others! Once you have listed the people in your life, and the talents that make you so special, you may then list your material possessions that are important to you.
Next to each of these, write down the ways in which these benefit you, your family, and those around you. From this exercise, you will appreciate that there is far more in life than fancy houses and cars. Your family, your friends, and your gifts and talents are the things that really matter in life. These are the things that help you to live your life to the full. Be grateful for everything that you have!
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