Psychologists argue that negative thinking is an urgent problem of our time. People attract negativity into their lives, which is why their dreams and plans may remain dreams and plans. However, negative thinking can be beneficial as well.
The epidemic of positive
Despite the fact that psychologists are now sounding the alarm about the danger of negative thinking, we still live in the era of so-called "positive thinking".
The starting point for this psychological fad can be considered 1952, when the famous book "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Peel was published, which immediately became a bestseller.
Many people "get hooked" on "positive thinking" while next to them there is another large group of people - those who, with negative thinking and self-accusations, bring themselves to nervous stress.
According to the UK Mental Health Foundation, negative thinking can cause depression and anxiety, two of the most common psychological problems in the UK and around the world.
However, is negative thinking so dangerous, and can you use it for your own good if the “books of happiness” that promote an eternally positive attitude do not help? And is it so good to always believe that everything will be fine?
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Defensive pessimism
In recent years, a behavioral strategy called "defensive pessimism" has become widespread.
She is closest to realism. Although books on "defensive pessimism" began to appear only at the beginning of the 21st century, this strategy has been used since antiquity. It is known, for example, that Seneca left his house from time to time, dressed in rags and lived on the street. He did all this in order to soberly assess the importance of his values.
We do not suggest that you dress in rags and live on the street. The key to defensive pessimism is thinking about the details of a worst-case scenario. The Stoics called this "deliberate evil."
The “defensive pessimism” technique can be an effective way to relieve anxiety about the future.
According to psychologist Julia Norem, today about one third of Americans instinctively use this strategy. Positive thinking, in her opinion, on the contrary, is an attempt to convince herself that everything will be fine, but this can strengthen the belief that everything will be completely terrible if the good does not happen.
Research by Sarah Saraswati, associate professor of business administration at the University of Virginia, has shown that adapting to feelings of insecurity is not only the key to a more balanced life, but is also often the key to prosperity. Saraswati interviewed 45 successful entrepreneurs, all of whom had at least one business listed on the stock exchange. Almost none of them wrote a comprehensive business plan or conducted extensive market research.
They practiced what Professor Saraswati calls "effectuation". Instead of choosing an end and then making a plan to achieve it, they put together the means and materials at their disposal, imagining a possible end.
Implementation also includes what Saraswati called the “acceptable loss principle”. Instead of focusing on the possible and exciting reward from the business, it is better to ask how big the loss would be if the business didn’t go well? If the potential losses seem bearable, the next step can be taken.
To dream is not to do
Not all psychologists share a complacent attitude about the benefits of positive thinking. For example, Gabriel Oettingen, in her book Rethinking Positive Thinking, argues that “an enthusiastic attitude and a positive attitude can weaken the motivation needed to mobilize and make strategic plans. Dreaming does not mean doing."
Todd Kashdan and Robert Biswas-Diener, in The Upside of Your Dark Side, also write that negative thinking can not only be a harbinger of aggression, quarrelsomeness and stress, but also speaks of critical thinking of its owner.
Those who allow themselves to think negatively tend to exercise more caution and attention, which often leads to better results at work. Kashdan and Biswar-Diner write: “Negative emotions help focus on the current situation. When you drill a hole in a wall, you probably pay attention to the accompanying measurements, as well as to the position of your hand. The anxiety associated with the risk of failure helps to drill a hole in the right place."
Team factor
Rebecca Mitchell, a behavior expert and professor at Newcastle Business School, believes negative attitudes improve teamwork. In a recent study, she found that moods such as grief, irritation, frustration, and hostility encourage other team members to be more attentive to their work.
Mitchell argues that “the most successful and innovative teams are those in which leaders create a healthy balance between negative and positive emotions.
If your team is focused only on the positive, then its members just agree with each other, looking for ideas that all share, and not points of disagreement."
For Mitchell, tensions fuel more effective solutions because team members look for problems in their reasoning and then find evidence for or against their ideas.
Negative balance
University of Pittsburgh researchers Robert Schwartz and Gregory Garamoni examined positive and negative thinking in relation to anxiety, depression and stress.
They came to the conclusion that too intense internal negative dialogue can provoke depression and panic, while the optimal state of the "golden ratio" of the mind - two thirds of the mood should be positive, one - negative.
Schwartz and Garamoni argue that while heightening the positivity can have an immediate effect, in the long run, positive thinking can cause dangerous events to go unnoticed, leaving a person vulnerable to danger.
Negativeness and gratitude
One of the biggest benefits of negative thinking is the direct connection between negative thinking and the ability of a person to show empathy and a sense of gratitude.
The most striking example of such a useful negative attitude can be considered the code of the Japanese samurai, who had to think about death every second, while this seemingly negative attitude allowed them to maintain a calm mind in the most unexpected and dangerous situations.
In everyday life, living in the mind of your own possible death makes life more valuable and allows people to show their best qualities. When life is perceived as a limited resource, you begin to value it more.