THINKING POSITIVELY CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUR BODY, NOT JUST YOUR BRAIN

Looking for an upside in any given situation can improve everything from the immune system to heart health

- DR RADHA MOOGIL

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.

For example, researchers from Northwestern University in the US have discovered that people who have a positive attitude are less likely to experience memory decline as they get older. As part of a national study, the team monitored adults at certain points over a decade, each time surveying their mood in the previous 30 days, along with their memory recall. They concluded that having a positive attitude was associated with a less steep decline in memory.