The Effects Of Positive Thinking On Happiness
We always want more and more. We think we’re happy if we get a better job when we move to another house, when we have more vacation days, or when we get more money. If you’re not already happy, you’re less likely to be happy even after one of those things happens to you ( if any of those things happen to you). So why not try a positive mindset to develop your happiness?
People who don’t know how to enjoy what they already have are doomed to be slaves to their dreams. We desperately want to be happy, but we don’t know how to achieve happiness. Keep reading to find out how positive thinking can help us in all of this.
Reflecting on this shows us a really common problem, both in people and in different situations. We have learned to be ambitious, we have learned to always want more, and we cannot be content with what we have. But what exactly do we forget? The peaks are not our goals, and reaching the summit is useless if we have not enjoyed the views along the way. Being happy is about the moment. Namely, when we get to the top, we won’t be there for very long.
I’m not talking now about adapting or staying in our comfort zone. I want more and I know I can’t achieve it, but I face all the challenges with a smile on my face, and then I can complete what I already have. If I can feel full about what I own, and still want more, then I have managed to find the key to success, my success. It’s about positive thinking.
Positive thinking and visualization
In 1967, Australian psychologist Alan Richardson conducted an interesting experiment in which he emphasized the intensity of visualization. In the first phase of the investigation, he told the people who took part in the investigation that they had to throw balls into baskets and record all their hits. He later split this group into three smaller groups, and his idea was to study how their throwing technique would change over the next twenty days.
The first group spent 20 minutes of their day practicing throwing the ball, but the second group practiced nothing at all. The third group also did not practice, but members of this group spent 20 minutes each day visualizing throwing the ball into the basket.
After 20 days, Richardson redefined the skills of the players and made significant discoveries. The first group had developed their skills by 24%, the second group had not developed at all. But the third group, those who practiced visualization, developed 23%. So positive thinking has a big impact.
The importance of a good image
Daniel Gilbert, a professor at Harvard University, took another experiment. Through her research, she showed how we can enjoy situations that make us happy twice as much. In his experiment, a group of people were invited to dine for free in a good restaurant. Everyone was allowed to choose the day they would like to dine. The people who delayed their dinner were the ones reported to be the happiest as a result of the experiment. Not only did they enjoy dinner, but they also enjoyed it when they thought about how much they were going to enjoy dinner.
What can we deduce from these experiments? It is very important to have a good image of ourselves or the things we hope to experience in the future. Achieving goals, enjoying things, setting goals, and overcoming challenges can engage our brains to make those challenges easier.
Some theories claim that wanting something more strongly brings us closer to achieving our goal, but we’re not talking about it now. What brings us closer to our goals is practicing the mental procedure to get to where we want to go. This is something athletes who run speed tests know. As they warm up, they practice racing mentally, over and over again – they visualize the situation with positive thinking.
Does what you already have make you happy?
We can spend our whole lives looking for happiness, just like someone looking for metal objects on the beach or when someone sifting through the sand looking for gold bars. We can either do this alone, or try to find a balance where our dreams are important, but so are our positive feelings. These feelings emerge in situations where we stop and take a step back to realize what we have achieved.
This balance not only makes us feel better, but it also makes it easier to deal with our wishes in different ways. It helps us see them as something desired and available, but not something completely essential. It doesn’t stop our motivation, but it reduces the impact of any adversity. Can you imagine anything as valuable as happiness?
