It is Thanksgiving in the States and a good time to talk about the benefit of being thankful over worry. This may seem like just another positivity pile of crap. However, it is not. There is a lot to be gained by taking this approach, and it has more to do with overall health than confirmation bias.
Real Benefits of Choosing Thankful Over Worry
We can all point to how anything we think becomes what we are more attuned to. A simple test of thinking of a blue car and then suddenly feeling like they are everywhere can confirm it. Of course, there is also research on attention that caused people to miss a dancing gorilla. It is sort of like the difference between a frown and a smile. More than either of those is the momentum we have, whether from a negative or a positive situation. Whichever result we last experienced, we will be more likely to expect that the next time. If you doubt that, it is worth spending a little of your Holiday time searching some of the research around our attitudes.
A Day Will Not Hurt
Even if you want to argue that it is safest to expect the worst, one day will not kill you. Take a day and choose to look at the bright side. Count your blessings and bask in how your life could be much worse. There are very few of us who literally have nothing worse that could happen. If nothing else, be thankful you have the physical and mental capacity to read (or listen to ) this post and the accompanying podcast. No matter what your attitude is, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for spending time with us. Happy Thanksgiving!
