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Is this really a Myth?

When you’re down in the dumps, think yourself happy by focusing on the positive

It is true that our thoughts affect our emotions/mood. However, how easy is it to control those thoughts? Many self-help gurus claim that mind control of emotions is really easy and that it’s all within our reach. Scientists and other mental health professionals have supported and challenged this belief. The purpose of this blog is to analyze the popular belief that “When you’re down in the dumps, think yourself happy by focusing on the positive,” or to be more precise, “When down, positive self-talk will lift you up.”

I am an undergraduate student at Seattle University. I am a psychology major. I enjoy reading books and long walks during the sunset. I am an Aquarius. This is a class assignment for my class called “Popular Myths about Human Behavior.” I highly suggest you take it too. I picked this topic because I couldn’t believe that “When down, positive self-talk will lift you up” could possibly be a myth. So all I ask of you is come explore my blog, make comments, and discuss how you feel about this topic.







































Thursday, June 10, 2010

So What?

So what?

The implication of this belief is the millions of dollars that are lost every year by hopeful Americans. Trying to give yourself self-help does add up. This belief can also make one more depressed. As I stated before, evidence does show that for people with low self-esteem and who are depressed suffer the worse from this belief. The future implications of this belief are unknown. However, I know the belief is causing us to be too hard on ourselves, that’s why I can glad that the field of positive psychology has been created. Now it is possible for us to have more scientifically proven ways to make ourselves happy.

The problem with this belief is the lack of evidence supporting it. As I have proven in my research, we are only able to change our thoughts/emotions to a certain extent. Therefore, other methods are needed if we are really going to feel better.
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