The Negatives of Positive Thinking

The negatives of positive thinking , seeing the glass half full is natural for some and nearly impossible for others. A recent study has shown that reappraising the meaning of a bad
situation may backfire for habitual worriers. This study was accomplished by showing woman a series of negative photographs. An Electroencephalogram (EEG) was used to record and monitor the participants responses. Participants were informed that a troubling image was coming up and that they should try to think about it in a positive way. If the image showed a man grabbing a girl, for example, they might imagine that the man was trying to help her from falling. This reframing was tricky for worriers. For worriers the EEG showed an increase in emotional arousal during the reappraisal task. Telling worriers to “look on the bright side” may be the wrong approach according to psychologist Jason Moser. He suggests it may be better to take an objective, detached view of the situation.