
Seth's Blog: The problem with positive thinking - qeek
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/09/the-problem-with-positive-thinking.html
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gruseom
This piece is surprisingly profound. Here is the key insight:

 _Negative thinking feels good._

I think this is exactly right.

A compounding factor is habit. Once you've being doing the same thing over and
over, it feels good to keep doing it and uncomfortable not to.

Another reason why negative thinking feels good is that it's passive, and it's
easier to be passive than active.

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ektimo
Negative thinking feels bad. Maybe he's never actually experienced it. A
better explanation is needed.

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gruseom
The statements "negative thinking feels bad" and "negative thinking feels
good" are not contradictory at all, though they may appear so. The way in
which it feels bad is obvious, but the way in which it feels good is not, and
takes self-observation and honesty to detect. The effort is well worth it,
though, because it provides a way out of the conundrum. If I'm only aware of
how they feel bad, then negative thoughts are something that _happens_ to me;
but once I become aware that they also feel good, I see them as something that
I'm _doing_ (or at least acceding to), and I can withdraw that participation.

My experience has been that one has to persist with this concept until the
initial indignation ("how dare you say that I'm enjoying this pain") dies
down. Then a whole new array of psychological options opens up. It's
fascinating. But challenging.

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ektimo
Still the people who never do that are, in honesty, feeling bad not good.

I hypothesize the reason humans perform worse after failing a hard question
versus passing an easy question is that by keeping yourself down, you avoid
getting into trouble claiming a higher status in the tribe than you can pull
off if it comes to a confrontation. But you feel bad so that you keep looking
for an opportunity to claim the higher status/more resources position. Perhaps
explaining this (if it is true) and that this doesn't confer any benefit in
our current environment would be just as effective.

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charlesju
In regards to running a startup I have found that analyzing the worst case
scenario (negative thinking) has helped shape smart decisions a lot more than
positive thinking. I find that this is especially true with entrepreneurs
where positive thinking has frequently been the downfall of many great
companies (ie. build products -> make free -> ??? -> make money)

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gruseom
You're not talking about the same thing. It's entirely possible to analyze
worst-case scenarios without feeling overwhelmed, miserable, or doomed. Indeed
the analysis will be better that way.

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charlesju
I never said negative thinking is overwhelming. I think it's exactly the
opposite. Once you can come to terms with your worst-case scenario (ie.
quitting and getting a job again when it fails), it frees a lot of burden and
helps you work harder.

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gruseom
There is no issue here, merely semantic confusion: we're using the phrase
"negative thinking" to mean different things.

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trjordan
Think of it this way: planning for negative scenarios is generally implies
that you're willing to deal with them. To be willing to deal with them, you
probably think that you're capable of dealing with them.

Even though dealing with negative situations isn't kittens-and-puppies happy,
it is solidly optimistic. That's the kind of positive thinking that helps you.

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DougBTX
Good summary.

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jdavidson
Any one have links to the evidence mentioned for the effect of positive
thinking on performance?

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Alex3917
Most of the research on this comes from the field of educational psychology.
The specific term that you would search is 'self-efficacy'.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-efficacy>

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stse
Also "Performance Psychology" which as its origin in sports.

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jdavidson
Thanks!

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stse
This is a great post and should almost be a sticky here on Hacker News. I've
been involved in some performance oriented activities both in school,
business, sports and the military. I have never seen anyone succeed by
focusing on the problems.

When focusing on problems or prematurely on the solution, you'll get anxious
and start seeing problems everywhere. The planning process will get more
important then the actual implementation and you'll focus on the smallest
problems. Even things that will go away by themselves.

Then without knowing it you'll be one of those people who asks "why?" instead
of "how?". And I, like most, don't want to be around a person like that.

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bkovitz
What is "positive thinking"?

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radioactive21
it is thinking positive.

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bkovitz
The term is just so damned vague. If I buy a stock and think the price will go
down, is that "negative thinking"? If I'm miserable where I work, would it be
"positive thinking" to tell myself that I like it there?

My current understanding is that "positive thinking" is a lot like "having an
open mind": social gamesmanship where you say "I disagree with you" but in a
way designed to make the other person look bad, at least in the eyes of people
who don't both to find out what the words are supposed to mean.

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onreact-com
Positive thinking is a good start but positive acting is even better. For
instance it works perfect in raising children. See Triple P
<http://www.gov.mb.ca/triplep/>

