Is The Study Of Positive Thinking Thorough Enough?
Why the study of positive thinking doesn't need to be academic
Thinking positively nowadays is fashionable: you have sites over the internet, hundreds of thousands of books, and information about self-help, attitude and motivation, all designed to help you.
Almost everybody (including me, here!) is entitled to speak about having a positive attitude without the need to have a degree on it.
In fact, you can also notice when and how you are feeling positive - maybe even why - and you are able to help others when they need it.
How serious then is the study of positive thinking?
Many people may disregard positive thinking because it's not defined in scientific or academic terms. You cannot take a BA or Masters of Science in positive thinking (at the time of writing, at least), or gain a degree in the field from any university.
However, there are many studies that have proved connections between positive thinking and good health, well being and prosperity, for example.
There are many people who have experienced the benefits of positive thinking and can tell you how it works for them.
The roots
The study of positive thinking as a serious matter can be placed within the New Thought Movement, at the end of the 19th century.
This movement states that there is a substance, called Mind, Universe, Life, or many other names, from which everything is created.
In this way, everything is available to us as long as we think it, as the thought of it coupled with positive emotion is enough for its manifestation.
Philosophy and self-reflection are the base for research on positive thinking at this stage. Many good books on positive thinking were written at the turn of the 20th century, and are key in the field of positive thinking.
The study of thinking positively received a push during the 1950s and 1960s, when Norman Vincent Peale published a Christian version of positive thinking, "The power of positive thinking".
Other authors followed from there, developing positive thinking and making their findings available to the public. Some researchers came into positive thinking from a background in psychology - this gave birth to the positive psychology movement.
Follow the link to find out more about the origin of positive thinking and its evolution.
...And it works!
The amazing fact is that positive thinking works, whether we have an academic diploma to acknowledge it or not. Quantum physics and the Law of Attraction support it.
Read about this real life story where positive thinking helped cure a face stroke: this is the story of Juanjo and how he kept on having a positive attitude.
If you want to immerse yourself in the study of positive thinking, you can start by referring to key authors and books in the field.
Subscribe to newsletters on the topic and visit related forums to keep yourself in the wave.
You can also check this page of resources for more positive thinking information.
"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to that person's commitment to excellence, regardless of the chosen field of endeavour."
Vince Lombardi