Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.
Can Negative Thinking Make You Sick?
Grey_1
Posts: 1,139 Member
Title from the article:
http://news.health.com/2015/06/26/can-negative-thinking-make-you-sick/
I've always thought that this is one of those things that everyone knows, or was aware of in some aspect or another. I'm generally a very upbeat and optimistic person, but I'm around people all day who are not. I'm also aware there are many here who deal with negative emotions in one form or another. I thought maybe revisiting the subject may call some more awareness to it?
We live in a time where bad vibes and hostility abound - I'd like to submit that it does not always have to be that way for most individuals. With some, it may simply take a reminder or kind word. Others may need medication and/or long term help, depending on the issues at hand.
Personally, I find that if I choose to not let myself sweat the small stuff, I do tend to feel less exhausted at the end of the day. One small quote from the article:
I dunno - worth discussing good people of Myfitnesspal?
http://news.health.com/2015/06/26/can-negative-thinking-make-you-sick/
I've always thought that this is one of those things that everyone knows, or was aware of in some aspect or another. I'm generally a very upbeat and optimistic person, but I'm around people all day who are not. I'm also aware there are many here who deal with negative emotions in one form or another. I thought maybe revisiting the subject may call some more awareness to it?
We live in a time where bad vibes and hostility abound - I'd like to submit that it does not always have to be that way for most individuals. With some, it may simply take a reminder or kind word. Others may need medication and/or long term help, depending on the issues at hand.
Personally, I find that if I choose to not let myself sweat the small stuff, I do tend to feel less exhausted at the end of the day. One small quote from the article:
All this said, there is a big bright spot for every Negative Nancy out there: by simply changing your perspective, you may just improve your health. “We know that neural pathways are changing every minute of your entire life and that your brain is generating new cells throughout your life. And this neurogenesis is not only associated with the formation of new memories, but with mood stability, as well,” Simon-Thomas says.
So cynics take heart—you have control over your attitude (and your well-being). As Simon-Thomas put it: “We can be deliberate about shifting our habits of feeling and thinking in the world.”
I dunno - worth discussing good people of Myfitnesspal?
7
Replies
-
I used to be a pretty negative angry person. but over the last 5-6 years Ive shed much of my hostility, angst and worry and feel so much better. I attribute it to menopause, no data to support that other than it seems as I moved through menopause, I became much lighter in the world. During the same years I also shed my weight, becoming literally lighter in the world. We could consider that a chicken/egg scenario, but I think they were worked in tandem. Will it help my health in the future? I don't know. Has the damage already been done? Again, I don't know. All I know is being a less angry hostile person is such a better way to be for me. What is interesting, is as I became kinder, my husband became meaner. I think the world requires balance, at least my husband does. /shrug.7
-
I do think our attitude does play a factor in our health for sure. I found when I was in school there was someone who was so negative that I spent a lot of time around (we carpooled) and I did find that my attitude towards everything seemed to take a negative turn. It's been hard for me to try to bring myself back to my happy old self. I was introduced to meditation in the last year and I find is having a huge effect on my attitude now and I am now not as anxious or negative as I previously was. It is very easy to find negativity in everything but being positive feels so much better 3
-
I think it stands to reason that our bodies have a limited capacity to deal with stress and the more stress you place on it the greater the likelihood it will break down.
Negative thinking adds to stress.16 -
I completely understand this theory. In my younger days, I was always negative. I would never see any positive in anything and was just miserable. At that point in my life, I used to get migraines all the time too. The negativity surely had some company (migraines, ex-husband, father, mother, self).
Anywho, since my present husband and I have been together (almost 9 years), I haven't had migraines and I've been much more positive in my daily life (except the occasional boss rants). I look at beauty in objects or people. I really try and give the benefit of the doubt. I've let the anger go that I had toward my father and we have a great relationship now. My mother and I, not so much (though she thinks that we do). She's a super negative one and I have to limit my time spent with her. My doctor told me that because of my MS, that I need to stay away from stress triggers (much easier said than done).
I dunno, I guess once you open your mind to better things and trying to see through a different perspective, it's truly helpful for peace of mind and health.
Without all of that back story, I could have just said, I think the answer is yes.
8 -
I think negative attracts negative and positive attracts positive..
Glass half full or glass half empty...i learned this from a mentor I had a while go..it was pointed out that i was severely living "glass half empty".. took many years to correct that.8 -
I think you're absolutely right. I have no evidence to support that of course, but it does seem to happen. I also believe negative seeks to take positive down to it's own level.I think negative attracts negative and positive attracts positive..
Glass half full or glass half empty...i learned this from a mentor I had a while go..it was pointed out that i was severely living "glass half empty".. took many years to correct that.
Great feedback folks. Based on your comments it does really look like the article and theories are correct.
@besaro - I have been in a mismatched marriage before. I really hope you/yours finds it's "balance"
3 -
I think negative attracts negative and positive attracts positive..
Glass half full or glass half empty...i learned this from a mentor I had a while go..it was pointed out that i was severely living "glass half empty".. took many years to correct that.
Totally agree that a negative outlook will attract negative vibes. If anyone one reads the 'Law of Attraction' it's basically saying that whatever you feed out to the universe is what you will get back.
If you go out and smile at people they will, more often than not, smile back, AND pass the smile onto someone else, if you scowl at them, they will pass on the scowl etc.
Not many people have a 'perfect' life - but we need to learn how to make the best of the one we have
3 -
I wholeheartedly agree.
I was recently speaking to a group of high school kids about this and related that the single most important change I made in my life was to separate myself from negative people. There are people that have a problem for every solution and want nothing more than to spread their misery.
When I was diagnosed with cancer I did a lot of research on survivors and was shocked to find how many Olympians, elite level athletes, and other successful people were diagnosed at an early age. In all cases this served as a reminder how short life is and how we only have a limited time to make our impact - better make it a positive one.
I read "Happiness is a Serious Problem" by Dennis Prager - provides some amazing insight into this. It is unfortunate that the unhappy live largely unaware of the damage they do.6 -
I think this paragraph from the article is a more likely explanation for chronic health issues correlated with negative moods:It could also be that people who feel bad—be it depressed, stressed, cynical, or otherwise—may also be more likely to smoke or drink alcohol, or less likely to be physically active, all things that can affect your health, of course. Or it’s possible that negative emotions might be an early symptom of a health problem, rather than a cause.
If you believe the world's a terrible place or everyone is out to get you, do you have as much motivation to take care of yourself?
I do think battling mental illness like depression or anxiety for a long time can lead to other physical issues, but I don't like lumping that into the same category of negative emotions the way this article does. Is there anything to suggest being cynical or bitter can be categorized as a mental illness, or is it the result of experiences and upbringing?3 -
chocolate_owl wrote: »I think this paragraph from the article is a more likely explanation for chronic health issues correlated with negative moods:It could also be that people who feel bad—be it depressed, stressed, cynical, or otherwise—may also be more likely to smoke or drink alcohol, or less likely to be physically active, all things that can affect your health, of course. Or it’s possible that negative emotions might be an early symptom of a health problem, rather than a cause.
If you believe the world's a terrible place or everyone is out to get you, do you have as much motivation to take care of yourself?
I do think battling mental illness like depression or anxiety for a long time can lead to other physical issues, but I don't like lumping that into the same category of negative emotions the way this article does. Is there anything to suggest being cynical or bitter can be categorized as a mental illness, or is it the result of experiences and upbringing?
I honestly don't know. I would go out on a limb and say it can be habitual though. Cynical and bitter were two very good friends of mine many years ago, sort of a protective shell.
I know that's anecdotal at best but I'd like to hear other opinions as well. I have some family members who thrive on negative/cynical/bitter, and the insight may be helpful. 1 -
chocolate_owl wrote: »Is there anything to suggest being cynical or bitter can be categorized as a mental illness, or is it the result of experiences and upbringing?
People who have hammers notice a lot of nails. People who are predisposed to being happy or miserable probably find a lot of confirmation in the world. We all know somebody who sneezes and thinks they have pneumonia, not because they're hypochondriacs but because "it's just my luck."1 -
If negative thoughts couldn't make us sick then positive thoughts couldn't make us well, but placebos do sometimes work.5
-
Makes me wonder why hypochondriacs never diagnose themselves with hypochondria though...8
-
They wouldn't have anything left to do?
5 -
The only sinus infection i ever had was the day after reading a very vivid description of how a sinus infection is formed and progresses. I wasn't sick when I read it, at all and I think my brain must have taken the article as instructions and sent them on down to my body. Never before or since have I had a sinus infection. I had the green snot, everything. Had to go to the doctor and have it treated.
Since that experience, I absolutely, 100% believe you can psych yourself into being sick. It's not much of a stretch to think that thoughts can affect your body. Stress is a known risk factor for heart problems, and there is a cancer "type", all correlation but it's certainly not an unreasonable theory.4 -
I wholeheartedly agree, and also think that the reverse could be true. I'm going through a very awkward, extremely personal physical health problem, and the toll it's taken on my mental and spiritual health is undeniable. A dear friend recently pointed out, however, that my emotional mess might be causing my physical issue not to improve as fast as it would if "my glass was half-full." Ironically, I was a very happy person before my situation happened.2
-
Isn't rather natural to be struggling a bit as a result of an illness? I certainly hope you get well fast zcb94.1
-
Isn't rather natural to be struggling a bit as a result of an illness? I certainly hope you get well fast zcb94.
Yes it totally is. I have severe fistulizing crohn's disease and I went through the grieving process. Add in the fact that there is tons of shame and stigma with my disease it's quite easy to get depressed about it but I try to be as positive as poss5 -
A close friend of mine had that. I certainly wish you the best...he went through a lot of pain and grief.singingflutelady wrote: »Yes it totally is. I have severe fistulizing crohn's disease and I went through the grieving process. Add in the fact that there is tons of shame and stigma with my disease it's quite easy to get depressed about it but I try to be as positive as poss
0 -
I have a variety of mental illnesses and whilst I function pretty horribly and three years post breakdown, 18 months post diagnosis, I'm still figuring out how to live with it all. I'm otherwise a naturally cheery positive person, partly that's my armour against the world (where others use the cynicism model) and I do believe my innate positivity is what has kept me largely from plunging to the depths entirely and out of hospital. It's not always easy though, to cling to hope when evidence suggests there isn't much to be had!
So that's my take on the mental illness aspect.
For "normals" I think having a negative, dark view of the world certainly makes life much much harder than it needs to be and is counter-productive.9 -
I tagged your post "Awesome".VintageFeline wrote: »I have a variety of mental illnesses and whilst I function pretty horribly and three years post breakdown, 18 months post diagnosis, I'm still figuring out how to live with it all. I'm otherwise a naturally cheery positive person, partly that's my armour against the world (where others use the cynicism model) and I do believe my innate positivity is what has kept me largely from plunging to the depths entirely and out of hospital. It's not always easy though, to cling to hope when evidence suggests there isn't much to be had!
So that's my take on the mental illness aspect.
For "normals" I think having a negative, dark view of the world certainly makes life much much harder than it needs to be and is counter-productive.
Because you're confronting your issues and dealing with them. That takes a lot of courage Miss VintageFeline Keep pushing forward.
0 -
i guess the way i feel is: distorted thinking can happen at both ends of the scale and idk if either is optimal. otoh, i'm not really a huge believer in mind-body determinism either.I think it stands to reason that our bodies have a limited capacity to deal with stress
true enough, but on the other end of the scale i've seen some really determined perma-smiley-faces who were killing themselves to pretend everything's fine when it's not. repression is a major stressor as well, to a point where there's also plenty of literature out there about how that's not good for you either.
but i'm speaking as a person who's made a lifelong living out of noticing issues and identifying them so that they can be fixed - and basically being the voice of realism on many teams. it's other people's 'job' to be upbeat and chirpy the whole time, but my role serves a solid purpose as well. so i don't automatically associate identification of problems with 'negativity'. it depends on mindset, motivation and outcome as well.
it's certainly no fun being around people who are determined to be joyless. and maybe i've just come across too many 'old' people who were fookin' miserable but totally compos mentis to really think it's as simple as that. but i find it kind of hard to be around people who go too far the other way too. so again . . . happy medium works best for me.7 -
canadianlbs wrote: »i guess the way i feel is: distorted thinking can happen at both ends of the scale and idk if either is optimal. otoh, i'm not really a huge believer in mind-body determinism either.I think it stands to reason that our bodies have a limited capacity to deal with stress
true enough, but on the other end of the scale i've seen some really determined perma-smiley-faces who were killing themselves to pretend everything's fine when it's not. repression is a major stressor as well, to a point where there's also plenty of literature out there about how that's not good for you either.
but i'm speaking as a person who's made a lifelong living out of noticing issues and identifying them so that they can be fixed - and basically being the voice of realism on many teams. it's other people's 'job' to be upbeat and chirpy the whole time, but my role serves a solid purpose as well. so i don't automatically associate identification of problems with 'negativity'. it depends on mindset, motivation and outcome as well.
it's certainly no fun being around people who are determined to be joyless. and maybe i've just come across too many 'old' people who were fookin' miserable but totally compos mentis to really think it's as simple as that. but i find it kind of hard to be around people who go too far the other way too. so again . . . happy medium works best for me.
I agree with this post. When there's trouble, acknowlege it, look it in the eye, and fight. Also, look for beauty and goodness, and remember that a smile on your face beats fancy jewelry, clothes, etc. I sometimes see people that have everything (compared to others) and habitually are wearing a frown.3 -
canadianlbs wrote: »i guess the way i feel is: distorted thinking can happen at both ends of the scale and idk if either is optimal. otoh, i'm not really a huge believer in mind-body determinism either.I think it stands to reason that our bodies have a limited capacity to deal with stress
true enough, but on the other end of the scale i've seen some really determined perma-smiley-faces who were killing themselves to pretend everything's fine when it's not. repression is a major stressor as well, to a point where there's also plenty of literature out there about how that's not good for you either.
I agree with this -- repression is pretty much my key issue, after all, and not letting on (or even admitting to myself) that anything is not okay, ever, but I don't see this as quite the same thing as not sweating the small stuff or being optimistic.1 -
Things just are. No need to put a positive or negative stamp on them with the mind.3
-
The stoics practice negative visualization. They intentionally visualize the the worst case scenario. It dampens the blow if in fact the worst thing happens. They have already mentally prepared themselves. This is strictly an internal exercise. Stoics don't project this negative thought onto others. You wouldn't label a stoic as a negative nancy nor would you appoint them to head up a pep rally.
Are stoics particularly healthy? I have no clue. I believe they are less susceptible to the harm of chronic stress. Learning to not stress out is kinda their thing.3 -
i thought about it in the shower last night and realised my voice-of-reason voice wasn't really interested in figuring out who's negative and who's a realist and handing out living-right stars to the various points on the scale. it was just saying what it usually says: question the source before you go changing your life.
i guess i'm 50. i know when i was in my teens and 20's there was live-this-way stuff all over the place all the time too, but it was static content with a much slower turnover. i remember feeling sort of bullied and bossed around by all the 'musts' and the 'shoulds' of my day too. but we weren't carrying the feeds around with us and checking them three times an hour, so we were way less inundated with 'studies show' information like this. and the standards for proof and clarity were higher, sorry-etc but it's true. my sister's a new-media journalism prof and she says she and her colleagues call this kind of thing churnalism. they strongly discourage their students from accepting 'internship' offers to go generate this kind of stuff for the various places that want to recruit them to do it for free. because they're really just about producing mind-candy, which isn't necessarily the same thing as reporting it.
i'm not knocking anybody's beliefs or psychological lifestyle with this. i just got myself thinking how sad it must be to be young these days and so overwhelmingly told all the time that thou shalt this and thou shalt not that, and so much of it seems to be about what will happen to you twenty or thirty or forty years down the line if you don't or you do. and i can't help wanting to represent a little for all the people who have genuine depression or anxiety or living in genuinely intolerable circumstances right now. they're basically looking at 'hah. and what's more, you're going to lose your mind when you're old because this just proves that the way that you are is not viable'.
i don't think 'when you're old' is really a good-enough reason, for me. do it for now, not just for some vague pie in the sky that might not even be found to be a real correlation by the time that you get to the age where your genes might be waiting to rise up and bite you.2 -
I'm wondering the same thing. I haven't been posting here, but I have been keeping up on the replies because the topic is very pertinent to me.So are you saying that we should not view anything in life as positive or negative...only neutral?
Maybe I am misunderstanding your post.
I do personally believe there are positives and negatives, both external and internal, and to take it a step further, both real and imagined. I also believe that left unchecked, negativity can severely impact a persons health and well being. That's me though, and I really wanted to know what other folks take was on the subject.
2
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 394.1K Introduce Yourself
- 43.9K Getting Started
- 260.4K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 435 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.1K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.9K MyFitnessPal Information
- 15 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.7K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions