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The trap of positive thinking / Ella Katznelson

How rosy thoughts can lead to negative results

Apple logo from the XNUMXs "Think Different"
Apple logo from the XNUMXs "Think Different"

From sports stars to the adherents of psychological treatment using the do-it-yourself method, who advocate positive thinking, a method in which you imagine that you succeed in what you strive to achieve, believe that this is the surest way to achieve the desired goal. Studies conducted in the past also supported this idea, but today the researchers present a different, much more accurate picture. It turns out that if you paint your fantasies too pink, you may harm your chances of success.

One of the possible explanations for this is that idealizing reality may weaken motivation, as shown by a study published in early 2011 in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. The authors of the study asked volunteer college students to imagine some experience (an attractive performance in high heels, winning an essay writing competition, or achieving a score of 100 on a test) and then the researchers evaluated the effect of the fantasy on the subjects and the actual development of events. When the participants in the study imagined that they were achieving the best result, their energy level decreased, as reflected in blood pressure measurements, and they reported a worse experience in the actual event than their colleagues who imagined more realistic or even negative scenarios.

To evaluate the real experiences, the researchers made a comparison between the lists of goals that the participants in the study set for themselves and their actual achievements, and also examined the reports of the participants themselves. "When you fantasize about something, especially a very positive experience, it's almost as if you've actually experienced it," says Heather Barry Capps of New York University, one of the authors of the study. The fantasy tricks you into thinking that you have already achieved the goal, thus neutralizing the urge to "shine the waist and achieve the goal," explains Barry Capps. The participants in the study could have achieved better results if they had imagined possible ways to overcome the obstacles standing in their way, instead of ignoring them.

This approach can also be applied in sports. A research report published in the July 2011 issue of the journal Perspectives on Psychological Findings claims that if we visualize an athletic task in detail, step by step, we may achieve a better result than if we visualize the desired result. "It's positive thinking, along with executive orders," says study leader Antonios Hajigeorgiadis of the University of Thessaly in Greece.

12 תגובות

  1. Indeed, there is no doubt that sinking into black bile is the decisive factor for success in life, right?

    Positive thinking can motivate action, and that creates reality. If we compare the amount of people who are immersed in negative thoughts about their future versus the amount of people who are immersed in positive thoughts about their future, who do you think will be happier?

    The main thing in positive thinking is to paint you a picture of success, which strengthens the ego. I have seen this many times with children - when most of them fail, they will not try a certain challenge again. When they succeed the first time, their confidence rises and they will try another challenge.

  2. The naivety to believe that thought creates reality has created a great deal of money for a small number of people. And many, many fantasies for a large number of people.

  3. Active positive thinking of the type described in the article is masturbation on a grandiose scale - masturbation on reality.
    Like sexual masturbation, it brings pleasure but is not very constructive.
    From my personal experience, interestingly, those who preach active positive thinking are divided into two types.
    The first and more common type is whiny losers who try for years to reinvent themselves like in Hollywood movies and ignore and do not learn from their failures in reality. This type of "thinking" provides them with endless excuses for not kicking their own ass and going to do something else.
    The second and only type that really benefits from the whole story is the book writers and various gurus who preach this type of "positive thinking".

  4. There's no argument. And it is clear that all those who promoted positive thinking made a lot of money from it.

  5. point

    Similar to what happens in nature,
    A person acts for the benefit of the other,
    Only when it suits his needs.

  6. Seriously, definitely, positive thinking brings more pleasure.

    But don't forget that it also leads to a certain detachment from reality and the suffering of others.
    That is, overall it is not so clear whether the positive thinking of a single individual or of certain groups is beneficial to humanity as a whole.

  7. A positive thought
    Reduces the chance of success in life
    and increases the chance of enjoying them

  8. Here, look at what is happening in the south these hours.

    The cleanse program seems to be a good example of what too much positive thinking can do.

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