The Power of Positive Thinking

“Stay positive” is one of those phrases we come across frequently, though recent research has shown how doing so may be come with neuropsychological benefits!

Researchers followed research participants over nine years and showed that those who were more enthusiastic and cheerful experienced less memory decline over time. Of course, this study does not imply a causative mechanism, as those who are happier may have less stress in their lives, though the findings were shown even after controlling for accounting for age, gender, education, depression, negative affect, and extraversion. Stay positive!

Reference:

Emily F. Hittner, Jacquelyn E. Stephens, Nicholas A. Turiano, Denis Gerstorf, Margie E. Lachman, Claudia M. Haase. Positive Affect Is Associated With Less Memory Decline: Evidence From a 9-Year Longitudinal Study. Psychological Science, 2020; 095679762095388 DOI: 10.1177/0956797620953883