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THINKING POSITIVELY CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUR BODY, NOT JUST YOUR BRAIN
Very Interesting
|March/April 2023
Looking for an upside in any given situation can improve everything from the immune system to heart health
Positive thinking sometimes gets a bad reputation. Why? Well, because a lot of people think it is steeped in a denial of reality and believe it can negatively impact our wellbeing, as it does not allow us to process difficult emotions or feelings.
However, positive thinking is not about ignoring reality, but rather choosing to focus on potential solutions, being open to new ways of thinking, and finding something to be hopeful for. It can be a useful strategy for mentally and emotionally dealing with the many uncertainties and challenges of life. Our ability to look for the positives in a situation is known as 'cognitive reframing' and trains us to challenge and change our perspective of a scenario. And, if you need any more encouragement to give it a go, a growing number of studies have found that positive thinking can benefit our physical health as well as our mental health.
This story is from the March/April 2023 edition of Very Interesting.
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