Toxic Positivity
Is your glass half-empty or half-full? Our thoughts and the language we use to express those thoughts shape how we perceive the world and ultimately influence our health. Mentally, as well as physically. Something that the book Holistic Health: A Bio-Psycho-Spiritual Approach gives fascinating insights on.
Holding onto negativity and maintaining a negative stance on life requires a considerable amount of energy. To view the world through a negative lens and see only the bad and the ugly keeps us in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight. Such as always expecting criticism from your partner, they simply ask you to take the bins out, however, you take this as an insult to how lazy you are, reacting with defensiveness and anger.
Recent research from University College London discovered a connection between repetitive negative thinking and a build-up of harmful proteins in the brain, known as beta-amyloids, strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease. Several further studies show an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal problems, and exacerbated skin conditions like psoriasis or eczema.
Research is also very supportive of maintaining a more positive outlook on life as helpful for greater resilience to illnesses and improved cardiovascular health. So, let's simply convert our manner of thinking to one of positivity? It is not quite as straightforward as that.
Dr. Mogens Jensen of Yale University conducted a study involving breast cancer patients and the psychobiological factors linked to the severity of their cancer. Women who reported fewer negative feelings experienced a worse prognosis compared to those who were more true to themselves and their negative feelings. Those who also engaged in more pleasant daydreams would also experience a worse prognosis than their more reality-based counterparts.
This pattern of being overly positive and compromising health continues. Dr. Peter Silberfarb and his colleagues highlighted that lung cancer patients experienced sleep difficulties comparable to those with insomnia, yet they significantly underreported their sleep problems compared to insomniacs.
In the book Holistic Health: A Bio-Psycho-Spiritual Approach it reads:
“An excessive focus on positivity can render us unaware of our internal states, making us less capable of effectively dealing with stress.”
To be critical and ask questions like “Why am I unhappy today?” and “Could this lump be something more serious?” are essential. To be a compulsive positive thinker can become toxic, tuning out and dismissing potential dangers in your health, is a denial of the authentic self.
We all have our blue days, moments of ill health, and a need to recognise problems in our environment. To be a compulsive positive thinker suggests a suppression of anxiety, and unable to face potential problems in your health or life. Being true to yourself and honouring the reasons for your negative thought patterns are crucial. See the glass as half-full, but not more full than it truly is.