Why Positive Thinking Is Bad For You

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As the famous American industrialist and businessman, Henry Ford, once said, “Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right” (qtd. in BrainyQuote), but disputes have recently popped up concerning the truth of that statement. The vast majority of Americans would agree that positive thinking is a person’s key to success and happiness. However, some researchers are now saying that positive thinking can actually have an adverse effect on a person’s life. It has long been believed that optimism is good for a person, but new research is beginning to bring to light the negative aspects of positive thinking. Optimism has always been viewed as a positive trait, but people are now seeing that at times it can be just as harmful as helpful.

Positive thinking is often used by therapists in helping their patients overcome anxiety, specifically through the use of positive affirmations (i.e. “I am strong,” “I can,” “It is possible,” etc.). The idea is that when a person is constantly thinking negative thoughts (i.e. “I can’t do it,” “It’s hopeless,” “I’m worthless,” etc.) those thoughts sink into their subconscious and their brain begins recognizing them as truths and thus causes the anxiety; so when a person replaces those negative thoughts with positive ones, whether or not they necessarily believe them, the positive thoughts will become engrained in their subconscious and seen as truths and can help in easing their anxiety back down to a more normal level.

However, there are some people who take positive thinking and turn it into an obsession. They won’t just settle for doing their best to think positively and they up an unhealthy hatred of negative thoughts. They can become so focused on always being positive th...

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... through it. Although positive thinking isn’t all negatives, it should also not be seen as being all-powerful. The way in which a person implements positive thinking into their lives largely determines whether or not it will be their key to success.

Works Cited

Becker-Phelps, Leslie. "The Power of Positive Thinking Revisited." Psychology Today. Sussex Directories, Inc., 23 Jan. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. .

BrainyQuote. BookRags Media Network. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. .

Rao, Srikumar. "Why Positive Thinking Is Bad For You." Psychology Today. Sussex Directories, Inc., 7 Apr. 2010. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. .

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