Chapter 4: What Negative Thoughts Do To Your Brain
Over the years, the human brain has evolved and adapted to make decisions and thus respond quickly to safety threats. In this regard, when an individual stresses, worries, or adopts negative thinking, the human brain is tricked into believing that there is an immediate threat. Consequently, the fight and flight response is activated to address the current issue or threat.
The human brain is physiologically designed to address or respond to negative thoughts or threats promptly. In this regard, negative beliefs or negative feelings trigger the prompt response of the brain as it would if the individual faced imminent danger to their safety. When we think positively, the brain operates under the assumption that everything is running well and under control, and that no action is needed.
This is the opposite of the reaction to negative thoughts. However, most people dismiss negative thinking because it is typically not life-threatening. The core question here is: how many of the negative thoughts, worries, and stresses are life-threatening to the affected individual?
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Recent studies focusing on the psychology of human beings reveal that negative thoughts that are resulting in stress are causing overuse of this powerful safety system, which is in turn leading to a weakening of the immunity system and thus causing a surge in the likelihood of people facing the disease.
This underscores the fact that negative thinking is causing more harm to our bodies as well as our brains than we realize.
According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, negative thoughts and worrying have significant effects on the abilities of people to complete their day-to-day tasks. In this regard, people that worry 50 percent or more of the time display considerable disruption in their ability to address the difficult challenges they face daily as opposed to those with positive thinking.
Therefore, a surge in the levels of negative thoughts clouds the individual’s ability to solve problems and the self-belief that is required to address some crucial tasks. When the brain is faced with intricate and complex tasks, negative thoughts have a disruptive impact on the individual’s ability to process information and think with clarity.
In this regard, according to the researcher, accumulating negative thoughts regarding the challenges one is facing does not help them come up with any solutions, it makes it harder for such individuals to think of any problem-solving ideas or effective solutions. It shatters the confidence and self-belief that are the drivers of creativity and innovation, which form the basis of problem-solving mentalities.
The impact of negative thoughts includes effects on memory, the brain (amygdala and thalamus) as well as on the hormonal system, which control significant aspects involved in the discourse of understanding, conceptualizing, and addressing challenges. Therefore, the accumulation of negative thoughts affects your ability to see, self-esteem, self-confidence, and the bravery to address a challenge head-on with the hope that you will succeed.
Eliminating negative thoughts is crucial in improving the functioning of our brains. This can be achieved by focusing on positive thinking, which can be achieved through training of your brain to focus on the positive and opportunities that will appear at any moment.
The Link Between Thinking and Actions
According to Psychology Today, “Thoughts may come at whim, but actions are curbed by will.” This statement establishes an important relationship between thoughts and actions while also pointing out the differences that separate the two concepts.
What one thinks typically comes from their experiences of their environment, what they learn, and how they interact with other people. Thoughts are often the raw feelings informed by each other’s experiences and perceptions of the world. Additionally, they have limitless freedom regarding what they can think (whether negative or positive). However, actions are driven by will and typically are affected by their impact on other people within the local community, at work, or school.
Typically, the way you feel regarding yourself, your self-confidence, and self-esteem are the fundamental drivers of your
thoughts. In many cases, these thoughts can transform into actions. The actions that you take are often the key ingredients of getting what you want in life. Therefore, if you are not achieving your goals as planned, it is essential to take some time and assess how you feel about yourself.
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Meeting your targets in life involves repeated action(s) and persistence as well. Self-esteem is crucial in shaping the drive, determination, as well as personal power that are crucial in taking measures to achieve success. This highlights the power of positive thinking.
It forms the foundation of support, motivation, and self-confidence and esteem, which are crucial in driving the ability of an individual to meet their core targets in life, business, and at work. At the same time, negative thoughts are a massive dream killer. Telling yourself “I can’t” will lower self-esteem and confidence, reduce the effectiveness of any of the core actions that you take, and thus prevent your ability to achieve your objectives.
Therefore, although there is a distinction between thoughts and actions, they have a vital link. On the one hand, one’s movements are often impactful on the thought of an individual. In this case, negative actions will often lead to negative thoughts. On the other hand, the type of thinking you adopt (positive or negative) has a considerable impact on the ultimate actions an individual undertakes.
