Positive thinking does more than bring a smile to your face. Research shows it could help heal your body in ways you never thought were possible. The best part is that even a small amount of positive thinking can have a huge influence over your brain and your body’s healing process.
What Works?
Therapy, coupled with positive thoughts, can help people heal from a traumatic injury. Therapy can include standard recovery practices and rehabilitation coupled with support groups and online resources that guide people to find natural ways they can make connections. Connections in the real world lead to more neurons connecting in the brain, and this leads to more positive thinking on the part of people in the midst of healing.
How Does Positive Thinking Heal You?
Research shows that positive thinking can prevent a host of medical maladies, such as cardiovascular disease, depression and anxiety. Positive thoughts may also improve your immune system’s function while speeding along recovery times.
One study out of the University of Pittsburgh found that out of 97,000 women, the most cheerful ones were 30 percent less likely to die of heart disease and 14 percent less likely to die of the more common causes of death in America.
Positive thinking also does things in people’s mindset that leads to better living habits. Positive people generally don’t smoke or drink nearly as much alcohol. Optimists also exercise more. All of these habits could lead to a longer life and a higher quality of life.
What About Longer Lifespans?
A study from Yale University points to positive thinking and a longer lifespan. People who develop a positive attitude towards aging are 44 percent more likely to recover from a disability. These same people may live 7.6 years longer than people with negative feelings. Several studies on people who live to be more than 100 years old find that they cite a happy attitude as one key to having a long life.
Positive thinking is more than just some New Age mumbo-jumbo. Several scientific studies and research back the principle that positive thinking may lead to positive health outcomes.
Workfirst Casualty knows that happy and healthy employees are more productive, and when the unfortunate happens and they are injured on the job, they will heal more quickly and completely. One of our company objectives in the future is to develop resources that will assist all of your employees to live happier and healthier lives, so that when the rare injury happens they will be more likely to have a positive state of mind.