Why Positive Thinking Might Be Making You Miserable

You can’t positive-think your way out of reality

Photo by sashafolly on Adobe Stock

According to some self-help authors, the only thing you need to do to fix your life is think positive thoughts. According to the gospel of positive thinking, all you have to do to fix your life is say things like, “I have all the money, energy and confidence that I need to succeed.”

But despite the life-improving promises of positive thinking, when researchers at the University of Waterloo actually tested positive affirmations in 2009, they found that positive affirmations may do more harm than good. While repeating positive affirmations reinforced positivity for people who already had a positive attitude, when other people repeated positive affirmations, “neither their feelings about themselves nor their moods improved — they got worse.”

The problem with positive affirmations is that they often don’t match reality. If you can barely pay your rent but try to tell yourself that, “I have all the money I will ever need,” then your mind is going to reject that statement. Worse, your mind might actively fight positive affirmations. If you’re sick and say to yourself that, “My body is healthy,” part of your mind might fight the statement by reminding you that you’re not healthy.