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"Don't be so negative." "Just be happy." Friends and family may mean well when they encourage you to “look on the bright side,” but it could be that their well-wishes pack more of a punch than a pat on the back. Sometimes "negative thinking" is just what we need to find our way out of a difficult situation. Negative thinking, or anticipating unfavorable or unwanted outcomes, can be a powerful tool when used for self-reflection, personal growth, and approaching certain life events realistically.
“One potential benefit behind cultivating negative emotions is that they are usually motivating. That is, if you have a fear about not doing well on a test, you are motivated to avoid failing and might choose to study instead of something more enjoyable. In that specific scenario, negative thinking (I might fail) could actually benefit you to study and not fail.”
Dr. Philip Gable; Graduate director of the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Graduate Program and Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences
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