Optimistic and Pessimistic Thinking
How Human Brain respond to different thinking?
Each person experiences different thoughts and feelings all day. Neuroimage, Laboratory informs that every person experiences nearly 70,000 thoughts in a single day. These may be either constructive, cheery, or pessimistic thoughts.
Positive thinking is a combination of pragmatic sentiments that are enjoyable to experience (Cohen & Fredrickson, 2009). Optimistic thinking correlates to a positive mindset. A Cheerful, hopeful, and positive person deal with the circumstances well also faced life ultimatums by the mean of an innovative approach.
Some common characteristics interrelated by a positive mentality, are:
⁎Happiness
⁎Optimism
⁎Gratitude
⁎Hope
⁎Amusement
⁎Kindness
⁎Satisfaction
⁎Enthusiasm
⁎Eagerness
Pessimist thinking means negative sentiments that are unappealing and arouse an adverse influence on an individual to an incident or person (Pam, 2013). Negative thinkers notice the unscrupulous sight of any situation. A negative mentality spoils every event. Negative thinking that impacts everyday functioning can stimulate psychological illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders, and Personality disorders (Mckay M. et al., 2011).
Negative emotions that are in pessimistic person, are:
◾Despair
◾Disgust
◾Envy
◾Fear
◾Grief
◾Rage
◾Regret
◾Sadness
Optimistic and pessimistic thinking, both influence the physical and mental health of an individual. The positive and negative mental state, then its influence on mental wellbeing, is briefly explained below.
Optimistic thinking and Brain alterations:
Every thought discharges a particular chemical. While someone thinks positive, Neurotransmitters, serotonin, and dopamine level elevated in the brain. Serotonin and dopamine are with positive feelings.
Serotonin sometimes called the “happy chemical.” Serotonin produced in the raphe nuclei, placed in the brainstem, and aids in stabilizing the temperament, social behavior, sleep, and memory. When the serotonin level is usual, a person feels cheerful, motivated, and emotionally stable (Scaccia, 2017). “Dopamine neurotransmitter” is positioned in the deep mid-part of the brain “substantia nigra” and released by the hypothalamus. It can affect one’s sentiments and emotional state of pleasure and pain. Dopamine begins the incentive ways in the brain and pleasure epicenter (Richard, Lutz and Davidson, 2014).
“Prefrontal cortex” is also related to constructive emotions. It is the segment of a brain where the brain chores conjoin, then message transferred to other portions of the body. The higher level of prefrontal cortex activity enhanced mental tasks like creative thinking, cognitive flexibility. It helps to control the emotions. It broadens the span of attention also changes a person’s attention from “me” to “we.” People would concentrate on “communal” rather than “individuality” (Goleman, 2013).
Negative thinking and Brain, variations:
Negative thoughts slow down the brain activity of the prefrontal cortex, and the brain cannot perform his activities regularly. Metacognition process affiliated with innovative thinking, problem-solving in addition to decision making is also hit due to destructive beliefs. Negative thoughts can rob a person’s energy also cause stress and tension. A person cannot perform well in a stressed condition because stress can modify the plasticity in the nervous system, that is, in the limbic system (Marien, 2015). The prefrontal cortex also related to the ratio of attention we subsidize to something that is how we distinction of something and how greatly we give worth to something. If we give prominence to negative, then the brain will generate other neurons, which would initiate a more negative thought.
Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) exposes that pessimistic thoughts lessen the actions of the cerebellum. Cerebellum synchronizes voluntary operations, i.e., equilibrium, posture, collaboration, speech, and it is too essential for the erudition of motor behaviors.
The Human brain plays a vital role in any thought system. Variations in the brain parts happen whether the person thinks optimist or pessimist. The brain changes itself throughout the person’s life by the formation of more synaptic networks identified as brain plasticity. That means the physiological alterations in the brain come as a result of our relations with our surroundings. Through this development of the brain, we can acquire and amend to diverse experiences. So, one should always try to meditate positive, good for him and others. These are the motives that make evident to be optimistic and stay surrounded by positive, joyful as well as enthusiastic people.
Health benefits of positive thinking
◾An optimist person can cope up with stress.
◾Positive thinking lessens the risk of death from cardiovascular issues.
◾The researchers of the Netherlands (2004) demonstrate that a person with positive thinking experience heart attacks issues and death rates become low due to optimistic thinking.
◾It boosts immunity.
◾Positive thinkers have less depression.
◾Optimistic thinking makes anyone more resilient.
◾A constructive thinker can effectively encounter to an ailment such as a common cold. In 2006, a study was conducted by the researcher at Carnegie Mellon University. He found that people with positive thinking are less to have symptoms of illness such as cold.
Side effects of negative thinking to health
◾An extreme emotional negative state may be a source of an eating disorder. i.e., a person may eat more in a stressful condition.
◾Negative thoughts can cause physical illness and disease as the negative beliefs are stressors that can lead to physical problems.
◾Negative thoughts that do not impart can cause cancer. Dynamic sciences state that a person thinking decide the nature of our DNA. So, after we ought to pessimistic thinking, then alteration of DNA occurs might cause the disease such as cancer.
Ways to remain positive in life
◾Start the day with optimistic affirmations.
◾Do whatever you want to do.
◾Spend time with cheering people.
◾Try to notice well in the people.
◾Respond sensibly- do not answer back impartial.
◾Concentrate on solutions, not on problems.
◾Give some time to yourself daily and focus on your kind and cruel actions done in a diverse period.
◾Don’t bother other people’s judgment about you.
◾Remain focused and set the limits.
◾Deleterious energy can be terminate through physical means, i.e., do the exercise, breathe deeply, listen to music.
◾One of the best ways is to adopt the spiritual method, i.e., do good deeds, pray to God.
◾Reorganize or modify the physical surroundings.
