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…