Positive thinking doesn't mean you ignore an unpleasant situation, but rather deal with discomfort in a more positive and productive way.
You have to think that the best will happen, and not the worst. Positive thinking often begins with talking to yourself. If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, then your outlook on life is likely to be pessimistic.
On the other hand, if your thoughts are mostly positive, then you are probably an optimist. Several studies have shown that pessimistic and optimistic personalities can affect health and well-being in various aspects. Here, we will take advantage of some of the benefits of an optimistic attitude, which are described below.
The benefits of positive thinking
Positive thinking has very good benefits for our bodies, especially to improve health, here are the benefits of positive thinking:
1. Increases the possibility of longevity
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that optimistic postmenopausal women experienced reduced mortality and had a lower risk of developing diabetes or hypertension (high blood pressure), which their pessimistic peers often experience.
Researchers analyzed data from 100,000 women in an ongoing study, and found that optimistic women had a 30% lower risk of dying from heart disease, compared to pessimistic ones. Pessimistic women also have a 23% chance of dying from cancer.
2. Eliminate depression
Pessimistic thinking is one of the factors that lead to depression, according to Psychology Today. By changing your way of thinking in a positive direction, you will be able to fight depression.
Cognitive therapy that changes thought patterns can improve a person's feelings, and is also a major part of treating depression.
3. Strengthen the body's immune system
Positive thinking is believed to help people fight colds and other ailments. However, according to a 2003 study in the New York Times, negative thinking can only weaken the body's immune response to the flu.
This is because there is a large electrical activity in that part of the brain when you think negatively, which can weaken the immune response to flu as measured by their antibodies.
4. Beat various diseases
People with positive thoughts will recover faster from surgery, and also cope better with serious illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease, and AIDS, according to Psych Central, a mental health social network operated by mental health professionals.
A study of first-year law students found that people who were more optimistic than other students had better immune cells.
5. Cope with stress better
When faced with a stressful situation, positive thinkers can handle the situation more effectively than negative thinkers.
In one study, researchers found that when optimistic people face disappointment (such as not getting a job or failing to get a promotion), they tend to focus more on what they can do to resolve the situation.
Instead of sinking into feelings of frustration or with things they can't change, optimistic people will devise other plans and ask others for help and advice.
On the other hand, pessimists simply assume that the situation is out of their control and there is nothing they can do to change it.
6. Makes you tougher
Resilience refers to our ability to overcome problems. Resilient people can face a crisis or trauma with strength and determination.
Rather than crumble in the face of stress, they prefer to move on and overcome adversity.
This proves that positive thinking plays a role in resilience. When faced with a challenge, positive thinkers usually look to what they can actually do to solve the problem.
Researchers have also found that in times of crisis, such as a terror attack, or natural disaster, positive thoughts and emotions promote development and provide a shield against depression.
By maintaining positive emotions, even in the face of dire events, people can reap both short- and long-term benefits, including managing stress levels, reducing depression, and building the ability to recover that can be highly beneficial in the future.
Closing, we have to keep our mind good and clear because thoughts control our bodies, even deadly diseases can come because our minds are distracted or think too much about unimportant things. Taking care of the mind is the same as taking care of the body.