When you are experiencing positive thinking happiness increases. Not only that, but negative thinking can destroy happiness and make it more difficult for you to reach your goals. Positive thinking has several powerful effects on the mind. These are just some of them.
Stress Reduction
Positive thinking has been shown to reduce stress levels making you feel better and handle adverse events better. Lower stress levels also improve your health by reducing blood pressure and blood sugar leading to a lower chance of developing chronic illnesses. All of these lead to more happiness.
Cognition Improvement
Negative thinking actually harms your brain function. Training your brain to think positively has been shown to improve cognition and boost brainpower in many areas, from empathy to decision making to academic success. The effects on happiness might be secondary, but they?re powerful.
Lowered Anxiety
Too often, negative thinking leads to anxiety, which leads to more negative thinking and more anxiety. It becomes a self-reinforcing feedback loop. Beginning positive thinking interrupts that loop and provides a reset for your brain. Continuing positive thinking keeps you from going back into the loop, permanently lowering your anxiety levels. That increases happiness. It also makes you healthier, which affects happiness too.
Improved Mood
Depressed mood is one of the primary side effects of negative thinking. So are grouchiness, grumpiness, cynicism, and more downtrodden emotions. Positive thinking does the opposite -it lifts your mood, making you happier, more cheerful, more upbeat, and more optimistic. Practicing positive thinking for an extended period of time can affect permanent changes in your daily mood and thus your happiness.
Better Relationships
All the effects of negative thinking can lead to strained or damaged relationships. It can be hard to find friends or even spend time with family if you?re constantly being negative. Positive thinking, on the other hand, improves these relationships. It?s easier to be around you and you enjoy the company more when you?re in a better mood. What effect do better relationships have on happiness? They increase it, of course.
These five ways positive thinking improves your happiness levels are only the start. If you want to experience these effects for yourself, start working on training your brain to think positively today. You can use affirmations, meditation, gratitude, or any of many other techniques. (Or combinations thereof.) What do you have to lose? Nothing, and you could gain the whole world!
