We are always told to think positively. I couldn’t agree more. Despite an occasional tendency to complain, I consider myself to be an optimist in general. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to think positively. Many people believe that saying positive things to themselves is the answer. If only life was that simple.
In last week’s column, I argue that the best path to more positive thinking is through a critical examination of our thoughts. Critical thought helps us see things from a broader perspective. For negative thinkers, this results in more positive thought.
This does not mean that critical thinkers are positive thinkers. It can be argued that someone who is overly optimistic would become less so through the use of such critical thinking. True, but that would not be such a bad thing. It would simply lead to a more realistic view of the world.
Here’s the original English text:
Think critically, not positively
(Source: Journal Métro, Pensée critique contre pensée positive. July 2, 2008)Fill your mind with positive thoughts and good things will happen to you…or so they say. It seems that we are always being told to think positively. But while it sounds like a nice idea, how necessary is it and can it be done?
Too much negativism destroys initiative and can be a contributing factor to depression and unhappiness. But how does one counter the destructive effects of negative thinking? Do daily affirmations work? Does thinking positive thoughts make you believe them? Unfortunately no.
Words versus beliefs
The problem with trying to think positively is that you cannot convince yourself to start believing something that you didn’t believe to begin with. There is a difference between words and beliefs. Just saying positive things to oneself is an empty exercise. Words, no matter how often you repeat them, will not have an impact unless you truly believe them. That’s where critical thinking comes in.Critical thinking involves the ability to examine facts from an unbiased perspective. This means having to question your perceptions of events and to recognize your biases in order to be able to see things as they truly are, rather than as you may currently perceive them. This results in a more balanced perspective, one that is normally more positive. This type of change will be believed at a much more profound and longer-lasting level than any unconvincing attempt at positive thinking.
The negative slant in depression
People who suffer from chronic unhappiness or depression do not always live through worse circumstances than happier people, nor do they live in a different world. Instead, they may have a tendency to see things more negatively. For example, they may see their assets as insignificant while marveling at those same assets in others. They may greatly exaggerate their own faults while tolerating similar ones in others. When depressed, this negative tendency gets stronger and only makes the symptoms worse.One of the goals in treating people who are depressed, chronically unhappy, or overly negative, is to use critical thinking in order to help individuals recognize their distorted thinking and negative biases. They learn to question their assumptions and interpretations of events, and to judge the facts from a new perspective. This produces a more realistic picture of their world, one that is not totally rosy but certainly more balanced and far less negative.
In forcing yourself to think positively, you are much less likely to achieve your goal than if you think critically. The goal is not to change what you say to yourself. It is to change what you believe.
Tagged as Depression, Positive thinking.
Posted in Happiness.
Posted on 08 Jul 2008
