Positive Thinking Turns Out to Provide 6 Benefits for Your Body

Thinking positively does not mean that you ignore unpleasant situations, but rather to deal with discomfort in a more positive and productive way. You have to think that the best is going to happen, and not the worst. Positive thinking often starts with talking to yourself. If the thoughts running through your head are mostly negative, then your outlook on life is likely pessimistic. Conversely, if your thoughts are mostly positive, then you are probably an optimist. Several studies suggest that a pessimistic and optimistic personality can affect health and well-being in various aspects. Here, we will take some of the benefits of being optimistic, which are explained below.

The benefits of positive thinking

1. Increase the likelihood of longevity

Researchers at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that optimistic postmenopausal women had a reduced mortality rate and had less risk of developing diabetes or hypertension (high blood pressure), which their pessimistic peers often experience. Researchers analyzed data from 100,000 women in an ongoing study, and the results showed that women who were optimistic had a 30% lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who were pessimistic. Pessimistic women also had a 23% chance of dying from cancer.

2. Combating depression

Pessimistic thinking is one of the factors that lead to depression, according to Psychology Today. By changing the way you think to be positive, you will be able to fight depression. Cognitive therapy that changes thinking patterns can improve how a person feels, and is also a major part of treating depression.

3. Strengthen the body’s immune system

Positive thinking is believed to help people fight colds and other ailments. However, a 2003 study in the New York Times stated that negative thinking can only weaken the body’s immune response to the flu. This is because there is a large electrical activity in the parts of the brain when you think negatively, so it can weaken the immune response to the flu as measured by their antibodies.

4. Beat various diseases

People with positive thoughts will recover faster from surgery, and will also be able to better cope with serious illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease and AIDS, according to Psych Central, a mental health social network operated by mental health professionals. A study of first-year law students found that people who were more optimistic than other students had better immune cells.

5. Cope better with stress

When faced with situations that cause stress, positive thinkers can cope with the situation more effectively than negative thinkers. In one study, researchers found that when optimists face disappointment (for example, such as not getting hired or failing to get promoted), they are more likely to focus on things they can do to cope with the situation.

Rather than sinking into feelings of frustration or things they can’t change, optimists will devise other plans and ask others for help and advice. On the other hand, pessimists simply assume that the situation is out of their control and that there is nothing they can do to change it.

6. Makes you tougher

Resilience refers to our ability to overcome problems. Resilient people can deal with crisis or trauma with strength and determination. Rather than being crushed in the face of stress, they prefer to go ahead and overcome the difficulties. This proves that positive thinking plays a role in resilience. When faced with challenges, positive thinkers usually see what they can actually do to solve the problem.

Researchers have also found that in the midst of a crisis, such as a terror attack, or a natural disaster, positive thoughts and emotions promote development and provide a shield against depression. By maintaining positive emotions, even in the face of dire events, people can reap both short and long term benefits, including managing stress levels, reducing depression, and building the ability to recover which can be of immense benefit in the future.