Don’t Think Too Positive

Popular psychologists often claim positive thinking will help you accomplish your goals, but empirical studies reveal the impact of positive thought is more complex than many self-help gurus suggest. Positive thinking can, indeed, give you a short-term mood boost. But, ironically, the same good feelings that fantasizing about positive outcomes generates can actually inhibit your ability to achieve goals in real life. The reason for this is that positive thinking can trick your brain into feeling like you have already succeeded, thereby sapping you of the motivation necessary to work hard enough to realize...