The Positive Effect of Negative Thinking

Here was an interesting article called "Yes, I Suck: Self-Help Through Negative Thinking." It explores the idea that negative thinking isn't necessarily bad for you.

See, when you tell someone something that they don't believe, they cling more tightly to their own belief. Asserting that "Sarah Palin is a genius!" will just have your friend believe even more vehemently that she's a moron, or telling a friend who knows he's one of the dimmer of your entourage that he can be the next Einstein will have them thinking even more stubbornly that he's...well, a Sarah Palin.

Indeed, what I took away from the article was that trying to get people to think in a positive fashion can have a more serious effect; they start to see that their lives suck more than they did before the positive outlook.

It was an interesting read. If you suffer from the periodic "blue day" I'd encourage you to check out the link and see what you think of the findings. I thought it was quite fascinating.