3 Scientific Studies That Prove the Power of Positive Thinking

Three studies in peer reviewed journals found that positive thinking is good for the immune system, reduces anxiety, and increases positive emotions such as happiness. Positive thinking has been shown to be particularly beneficial when you are going ‘through the wire.’ When your life feels completely out of control, this powerful habit can set into motion a chain of events over which you have complete and total control. For example, positive thinking triggers positive emotions such as joy, interest, contentment, pride, and love.

Joy, for instance, creates the urge to play, be creative and push limits. Contentment triggers the urge to savor the present and integrate current circumstances into new views of self and the world. Through the assistance of positive emotions, people who think positively in challenging circumstances are more likely to take actions that build resources, healthy coping skills, and resilience.

What is positive thinking?

Positive thinking does not mean that you stick your head in the sand or view the world through rose colored glasses. Positive thinking encompasses the mental attitude of optimism, which searches for favorable outcomes in all situations. It relies on the emotional state of hope, which looks past the current circumstance and supports the building of emotional, social, and other resources for positive action.

Positive thinkers make the best out every situation, focusing on what they can control, letting go what they cannot, and search for ways to improve the situation and lessons to learn.

Good health: Why it pays to think positively

Opinions differ on what constitutes a good life, but no one dreams up a ‘living my best life’ scenario where her mental or physical health is on the decline. Here are the numbers to prove it: according to the Global Wellness Institute, the global health and wellness industry is now worth $4.2 trillion, and represents 5.3% of global economic output. The top four trends driving the growth of the health and wellness industry are clean eating, wearable devices, wellness tourism, and Amazon.com — the consumers’ top choice for skin care and supplements.