Life’s too short to be a negative thinker. Negative thinking decreases the quality of your life, increases stress, and it actually shortens your lifespan.[1] So, to help you kick that negative habit to the curb, we thought it would be a good idea to address a few advantages of positive thinking, in the hopes that you’ll choose to become one.
Of course, you probably already knew this, considering most of us have been told to stay positive and to think positively since we were kids. But then again, most of us also need from time to time a little reminder to keep us on track to do those things which are best for us.
So, that’s exactly what we intend to do with this article, help you remember the key advantages of positive thinking, so you’ll be more inclined to apply them to your life.
With that said, if you’re ready to strengthen your understanding of the primary benefits of positive thought, so you can get start enjoying them for yourself, then let’s dive right into these key advantages.
Top 5 Advantages of Positive Thinking
1. Better Stress Management in Life
We all deal with stresses of some sort. Stress is after all a part of being human and is something that has to be accepted and dealt with. While it is not always possible to avoid stressors or even to control how much impact they have on our lives, we can control how we react and respond to them.
And believe it or not, striving to stay positive can minimize the negative effects stress has on our lives. Learning to maintain a positive outlook, even during stressful times, can help reduce the mental, emotional, and physical effects stress has.
A great deal of stress for many people comes from situations and events they cannot really do anything about. Therefore, responding to bad situations with a positive focus and intent can help those problems seem less severe and can help them have less impact on us day to day.
In short, staying positive can not only reduce your stress levels, but it can mitigate the negative side effects that stress typically has on our overall health and well-being in both the short and long-term.
2. Improved Levels of Mental Health
One of the key advantages of positive thinking is that it has been shown to directly impact our brains and how they work. Our moods, thought processes, habits, actions, and decisions are all partly based on chemical responses and signals from our brain.
On the other hand, negativity has been shown to cause imbalances with these chemicals, while positivity has been shown to have the opposite effect. It is easy to get swept up into a downward cycle of fear, depression, anxiety, fear, and worry.
One feeds into another and the deeper we sink, the more we feel upset and hopeless.
Thus, seeking out the good in things and events, no matter how small or minor they may seem at the time, can help keep you from sinking into a downward spiral of negative thought and its negative consequences.
3. Better Overall Physical Health
Aside from becoming happier and healthier due to keeping a positive outlook, one of the main benefits of positive thinking can be observed in the physical way a brighter outlook impacts us.
So much of our physical health has now been shown to be directly tied to our mental wellbeing and status.
Keeping your thoughts positive can also help you stay healthier in a very real sense. Stress has a huge impact on our physical bodies, and not in a good way! It can cause issues with blood pressure and blood sugar, it can affect the heart and the brain, and it can make us sick as it weakens the immune system over time.
Thus, keeping a positive outlook day in and day out makes it easier for us to stay healthy and physically fit, and which makes it much easier to live our best possible lives.
4. Improved Career and Job Performance
The advantages of positive thinking are vast and cover many aspects of life, including our career path and our jobs. The same positive effects that we can see when we maintain a positive outlook in our personal lives can also be experienced in our work life as well.
Positivity makes it easier for us to think and plan accordingly to deal with issues and problems that may arise. It can also help us better relate to others and work alongside our co-workers more efficiently.
The positive attitude we emulate can also rub off on others in the office or on the jobsite and make the entire work environment a little better and a bit more tolerable.
Related: State of Mind Poem
5. Better Social and Personal Life
The final example of the benefits of positive thinking that you can enjoy in your busy day-to-day life is an improved social reputation and greater sense of self-confidence. Think about those people in your life who you admire and respect.
Chances are, they are very positively minded people too- negative and depressed people usually aren’t very motivational or encouraging to be around.
Fostering a positive outlook and attitude can help draw people to you and make you more likable in your social circles. You can also benefit on a personal level as you enjoy a great sense of self-worth and have opportunity to be good to yourself at the same time.
Positivity attracts, negativity repels. So, if you want to improve your social life, be sure to leverage this last of the 5 advantages of positive thinking.
Final Thoughts on the Benefits of Positive Thinking
While there is always such as thing as too much of a good thing, positivity is something we all should strive for as much as possible. No, you shouldn’t be so blinded by positivity that you put yourself or others in danger, but a strong positive outlook on life can have surprising benefits.
Positive psychology has recently emerged as a new niche focus and area of study within the scientific field of human psychology. It can be difficult to get started at times, and no one person can maintain a totally positive outlook at all times.
But, when the positivity in your life outweighs the negativity, it can have a truly game-changing impact on your life.
Till next time,
STRIVE
PS – If you enjoyed this article on the 5 advantages of positive thinking, then you’ll likely love these quotes related to the power of keeping a positive attitude.
