Wednesday, September 13 is Positive Thinking Day in the United States and as it turns out, having a more positive outlook in your everyday life can improve your overall health.
According to the National Institute of Health, an upbeat mental state can lead to the following:
● Lower blood pressure
● Reduced risk for heart disease
● Healthier weight
● Better blood sugar levels
● Longer life
In contrast, negative feelings naturally induce the amygdala, which drives fear and anxiety. They are natural and by no means is the study intended to suggest that it is not OK to have those thoughts or the occasional bad day.
Research by Barbara Frederickson found that there is some control over some of the emotions we experience; that it is actually possible to train yourself to be positive and fend off those negative thoughts that can prove crippling at times.
In the popular Apple TV series Ted Lasso, the titular character encourages a player frustrated by his performance on the pitch, “you know what the happiest animal in the world is?”
“It’s a goldfish. It’s got a 10-second memory.”
He follows by imploring him to “be a goldfish,” suggesting he put the negative out of his mind; to not dwell on it and allow it to consume him. After all, there is no chance of future improvement if all you think about is the disappointment of the past.
Another study, conducted by Dr. Emily Falk, added that self-affirmation not only leads to a more positive outlook but improves your activity levels, too.
“Consistent with our hypotheses, those in the self-affirmation condition produced more activity in VMPFC during exposure to health messages and went on to increase their objectively measured activity levels more. These findings suggest that affirmation of core values may exert its effects by allowing at-risk individuals to see the self-relevance and value in otherwise-threatening messages.”
An active lifestyle that gets you off the sofa and doing something productive improves physical health and, as a result, produces chemicals that improve self-esteem and help with concentration.
Source: https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2015/08/positive-emotions-your-health
Erik Beaston
Hempfield recCenter