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The Power of Negative Thinking

Better to acknowledge bad feelings than recite phony good ones

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 8, 2009 2:50 PM CDT

(Newser) – Deliberate positive thinking—from Norman Vincent Peale to Stuart Smalley—has long been touted as a way to overcome feelings of worthlessness and self-doubt. But a new study suggests that repeating positive mantras may often backfire, making people with low self-esteem feel even worse about themselves. For many, it may “simply highlight how unhappy they are,” writes John Cloud in Time.

The recent study, bolstering earlier experiments, supports psychotherapy that pushes people to come to terms with negative feelings, learning to put them “into a larger, more realistic perspective” rather than rejecting or fighting them.

Positive thinking may not be the best way to escape negative feelings.
Positive thinking may not be the best way to escape negative feelings.   (Shutterstock)
Earlier work suggests that if a person receives what she thinks is excessive praise, she'll feel worse, not better, John Cloud writes.
Earlier work suggests that if a person receives what she thinks is excessive praise, she'll "feel worse, not better," John Cloud writes.   (Shutterstock)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 9 comments
armywife
Jul 9, 2009 12:01 PM CDT
why did you have to take us in the politics direction? cant there ever be an article that someone doesnt go there? sigh.
kokuaguy
Jul 9, 2009 10:13 AM CDT
Sorry... [ I was recently INTRODUCED to doing "the work".... ]
kokuaguy
Jul 9, 2009 10:11 AM CDT
I was recently to doing "the work" using Byron Katie's four questions. I find it helpful and easy to do. http://thework.com/index.asp

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