There are numerous books, articles and advocates, promoting positive thinking. But does positive thinking yield positive outcomes? How true is it?  

The power of positive thinking, a concept that can be seen to stem from the book ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ that was first published in 1952 by Norman Vincent Peale, pushes the notion that thinking positively can have positive effects on health, mental wellbeing, relationships, and other facets of one’s life. Whether or not the concept holds valid in every scenario is open to interpretation. What is however irrefutable, is power of mind over body; but is maintaining positive thoughts enough, or are there other elements at play?

Psychologists, such as Barbara Fredrickson and Martin E. P. Seligman, have done extensive research on the role positivity can have on one’s mental and physical wellbeing. From Barbara Fredrickson’s research,  it was shown that positive thoughts and emotions can indeed have a positive impact on one’s physical and mental wellbeing, but it was not these thoughts alone that brought about these miraculous results. In truth, it was highlighted that your positive emotions lead to increased activity, such as more outgoing and social behavior, taking the initiative to try new things, trying to view things in a positive light, and tapping into one’s own creativity, which Barbara Fredrickson referred to as the “Broaden and Build” theory. It is a fact that the initial positive emotion led to a positive outcome, but it is all other things in between that were really important, positivity was simply the first step. This was further supported by  Martin E. P. Seligman findings, in which a positive centered educational program was introduced to promote the concept of self-care, teaching children to be resilient and flexible and with their thinking, and using positivity to combat depression, stress, and increase life satisfaction through the power of positive thought leading to positive actions.

For many, the power of positivity may appear more like a wish that doesn’t require any other input then thinking; however, the truth for it to work requires the actions that follow a change in perspective, and that a positive mindset coupled with positive actions results in positive outcomes.

• listing and frequent repetitive use of positive words – by doing so, you create associations in which positive words come to mind more frequently
• form positive associations – by connecting normal tasks with positive rewards (giving yourself a bit a chocolate) positive associations are formed and mood is increased
• realistic positivity / achievable goals – creating achievable goals increases own self image, confidence, and levels of positivity
• identifying the negative – when negative thoughts emerge, think where they stemmed from and how you formed this association (knowing is half of the battle)
• fitness – exercising frequently can reduce stress and positively affect mood