It seems obvious—a complete no-brainer, in fact. Positive thinking can not only help you succeed, it can also help you deal with life’s upsets and challenges. The more positive thinking, the better.
The idea that positive thinking is all good is well-entrenched in the self-help world. But a considerable amount of research has come to a surprisingly different conclusion. Positive thinking may be more of a hindrance to success than a help.
Here are five ways positive thinking can have a negative effect.
Positive thinking (and fantasizing) tends to lower your energy and the motivation you need to achieve an outcome or goal.
Positive thinking produces a physiological response—lowering our blood pressure—which drains us of motivation. Fantasizing or daydreaming about something we want tricks our minds into thinking that we’ve already accomplished it and therefore lowers the energy and motivation we require in order to actually achieve it. –Lisa Evans
Positive thinking can keep you going when you might be better off changing course or bailing out of a situation.
“Winners never quit, and quitters never win” — that’s what they told us on the Little League field. But in business, and in life, sometimes quitting is the best thing you can do. –Dorie Clark
Positive thinking can prevent you from paying attention to feedback and learning what you need to learn from a failed attempt or a failed relationship.
Positive thinking encourages you to look away from or bury negative emotions, emotions you actually need to work on managing. –Peg Streep
Positive thinking can keep you from assessing situations realistically.
Let me tell you, there are worse things than being a realist. Being delusional is definitely one of them. –Steve Tobak
Positive thinking can lead to over-optimism and over-confidence so that you fail to anticipate and plan how to deal with obstacles and setbacks.
Over-optimism increases our ability to hoodwink ourselves into thinking we’re making progress when we’re really standing still. –Peg Streep
Fortunately, there are some very effective alternatives to positive thinking. Find out what they are and how to use them at the next MONTHLY MEETING OF THE MIND (& BRAIN).