As the philosopher René Descartes once said: Lastly, a general positive outlook toward life, oneself, and the future is considered so beneficial that it is often considered a part of wellbeing itself (Caprara & Steca, 2005). The challenge mindset, where we believe we have more control, is more beneficial for us. This mindset can be contrasted with a threat mindset, which is characterized by thoughts and beliefs that we can not effectively handle our current stressors (Crum, Akinola, Martin, & Fath, 2017). When we have a challenge mindset, we believe that we have the skills and ability to handle current stressors. The benefit of positive thoughts about control appears to be consistent with other research on the challenge mindset. For example, believing that we have control during stressful experiences seems to help us cope better (Taylor & Brown, 1994). Third, positive thoughts or beliefs about control appear to be beneficial. Optimistic thinking tends to help people feel better, have more positive social relationships, and cope better with stress (Taylor & Brown, 1994). It doesn’t seem to matter whether these thoughts are unrealistic or not. Second, optimistic thoughts are generally thought to be good for wellbeing. This evidence is mostly consistent with research on self-worth, self-confidence, and self-esteem (Miller Smedema, Catalano, & Ebener, 2010) – processes that may be considered types of positive thinking. Viewing oneself more positively than others also seems to buffer the effects of stress (Taylor & Brown, 1994). For example, when people have confidence in their abilities to achieve, they are more likely to succeed and achieve (Taylor & Brown, 1994). Here we’ll aim to clarify which types of positive thinking are good for mental health and wellbeing and which types might not be so good.įirst, positive thinking about the self tends to be good for wellbeing. Given that there are different definitions and components of positive thinking, the benefits of each may be different. (2009) suggest that positive thinking is good for wellbeing, but when positive thinking and wellbeing are measured with the same scales (for example, scales that measure optimism, subjective wellbeing, or life satisfaction), the research may really be saying that something predicts itself, which is not very useful or informative.Ĭlearer definitions about what positive thinking is and how it’s different from assessments of wellbeing are needed to better understand the actual benefits and importance of positive thinking. Inconsistent definitions of positive thinking in the research make it difficult to draw clear conclusions about the role of positive thinking in mental health.įor example, Diener et al. This involves thoughts that guide performance.Īs you can see, positive thinking can be defined in different ways. This involves thoughts about doing well for others. This involves thoughts about being one’s own cheerleader. Other researchers have explored the different dimensions of positive thinking and have suggested that positive thinking can be understood as a construct with four dimensions (Tsutsui & Fujiwara, 2015): You’ll note that this list includes techniques such as relaxation that may or may not be cognitive. Generating positive feelings by controlling negative thoughts.Nurturing ways to challenge pessimistic thoughts.Initiating optimistic beliefs with each part of the problem.Knowing how to break a problem into smaller parts to be manageable.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |