Being positive helps. Positive moods can increase one’s ability to take good decisions. According to a recent study, a positive mood enhances efforts to attain future well-being, encourages broader and flexible thinking, and increases openness to information. the study has been conducted by the uiniversities of Georgia and Chicago.
The study has been published in Journal of Consumer Research.
The researchers presented identical statements to study participants in one experiment. The statements in each set were preceded by either a smiley face or a frowny face.
Simply associating a smiley with a statement resulted in the statement being construed at a higher, more abstract level.
During the follow-up studies, the research team induced positive and negative moods by asking participants to describe either the happiest or unhappiest days in their lives.
The participants were also asked to fill out three different questionnaires, with a view to determining the level of abstract versus concrete thinking. The researchers said that all three questionnaires showed that people in a good mood thought more abstractly.
According to them, being in a good mood allows people to step back emotionally.
Those in a positive mood not only adopt higher-order future goals and work harder toward attaining them, but also reduce their efforts when goals are proximal or concrete.
This website is by a young orthopedist who is exploring ways to enhance mind power and beauty.