Finding the silver lining can make you feel worse
We’re always told to keep our chin up, look on the bright side, and try to see the positives in a bad situation.
But according to some recent Australian research this is not always the best option. In fact it can make us feel worse.
The research, published in Psychological Science, found that the old ‘think positive’ concept only really works well when the person feels that they don’t have any control over the situation.
The researchers were interested in the study based on the psychological theory of strategy-situation fit hypothesis. This theory supports the idea that those suffering from depression and anxiety should only try to positively switch their negative thoughts when they don’t feel that they have the ability to personally affect the outcome.
The 74 participants in the Australian study (aged 18-32) were asked to complete a survey to measure their current levels of anxiety, self-esteem and so on.
During the weeklong study, they were then instructed to indicate how they felt about certain situations they faced in the day, compared to how they felt earlier in the day. They also had to mention whether they had taken any steps to change their situation in order to affect the outcome.
The results found that those who started the week with a more positive notion of well being were more likely to positive frame situations when they felt they had less control over it.
Conversely, those with the lower well being at the beginning of the week tended to do the opposite – they tried to use the positive reframing more when they in fact had greater control over what was happening.
The findings of this research have potential use for psychologists seeking to find a way to help patients that find it difficult to deal with emotional regulation.
What do you think of the research findings? Have you found this to be true for you? Share your experience in the comments below.