Did you know that there is a positive side to negative thinking? We have been inundated with the power of positive thinking which suggests that an upbeat attitude is the surest path to happiness and success.
Decades of research suggests that the truth is more nuanced. Extreme negativity certainly can interfere with people’s lives but some every day negative feelings can be helpful. It does play a useful role.
Does negativity stand in the way of success or encourage it? A study in Finnish culture found that optimistic students experienced high levels of satisfaction and well being but students who foresaw problems and had low expectations for themselves achieved greater academic success.
Anxiety and fear of failure aren’t pleasant feelings but they exist for a reason-they warn us about what could go wrong. These warnings leave us better prepared to cope with problems when they arise and more likely to find ways to avoid problems before they occur.
Negativity reduces the odds that we will avoid scams also. Sad people are better at detecting deception than are happy or emotionally neutral folks.
People with negative thinking think differently. When people are positive they focus on the forest and not the trees. When they think negatively, they are all about the trees. Each of those viewpoints is beneficial at different times.
When brainstorming ideas, a positive viewpoint will serve you well but when you are trying to spot potential flaws in a particular idea, negative thinking is preferable.
This helps explain why happy, positive people are more likely to fall for scams as they focus on the big picture that the scammer is peddling and overlook key details that the scammer is glossing over.
What can you do if you are in a negative mood but you have to focus on big picture thinking or you are in a positive mood but must evaluate ideas critically? I will focus on this in my next blog post.
If you are bothered by negative thinking and want a more positive mindset, hypnosis might be able to help. Please give me a call at 361.442.9590 or contact me at holtadams2002@yahoo.com.