Positive Thinking

The silver lining

Positive thinking is a mental attitude that does not mean simply looking at one thing in a positive light but having a more wide-ranging view of optimism. By contrast, pessimism is a state of always – or mostly – looking at things in a negative light. Many situations are obviously bad and looking at them positively can mean being creative and putting some effort in. That said, even very dire situations will often have some aspect where positive thinking can make a difference. Think of it like seeing the silver lining on a rain cloud or considering your glass to be half full rather than half empty. As such, it is about altering your mental habits to make a deep-rooted difference in your whole life as well as those around you.

There is no scientific study that demonstrates that simply being positive about a condition will cure you of it. That said, positive thinking has been shown to help people deal with their symptoms better and even to reduce levels of pain, for example. Positive thoughts also tend to alleviate the worst effects of certain mental health conditions, such as stress and anxiety. Interestingly, a predisposition to positivity is something that has been found to have a biological and inherited root, so more studies into its physical effects are bound to follow, allowing us to know more.

According to neuroscientists, all thoughts cause some form of chemical release to occur in the brain. Therefore, serotonin, which is known to counterbalance cortisol, is often produced by the human brain when positive or joyful thoughts come to the fore. Cortisol is associated with stress, so producing more serotonin can help to alleviate bad moods, for example. In other words, you can think yourself into a more positive frame of mind.

Optimism has long been a subject of Western traditions of philosophy. It has often been studied alongside concepts like realism which it is sometimes contrasted against. Gottfried Leibniz wrote about positive thinking and optimism, famously saying that the best of all possible worlds is the one that actually exists, to paraphrase his writings somewhat. Blaise Pascal was another philosopher who built on Leibniz's thoughts, saying that people should embrace the whole universe rather than being overwhelmed by it.

As well as the aforementioned ability to help with physical symptoms and certain mental health conditions, positive thinking has been shown to correlate with good health. People who have a positive mental outlook are merely less likely to suffer from certain conditions in the first place. Among them are heart disease and stroke. You may still be affected by these ailments, but being naturally positive makes them more unlikely to occur.