Positive thinking can make you depressed

Curmudgeons rejoice! At long last, science suggests that the forced sunniness imposed by religious evangelists, sales motivators, and self-help books from The Power of Positive Thinking to The Secret can actually make you feel worse.

Today’s “Science Digest” at WashingtonPost.com notes a study by Joanne Wood and two colleagues at the University of Waterloo in Ontario:

But in one of their studies involving 32 male and 36 female psychology students, the researchers found that repeating the phrase did not improve the mood of those who had low self-esteem, as measured by a standard test. They actually ended up feeling worse, and the gap between those with high and low self-esteem widened.

(Hat tip: Daniel Politi / Today’s Papers.)

It would seem obvious that people cannot simply repeat their way into believing what they do not believe, and that the failed effort must surely produce additional stress. Perhaps having a little research to support their normalcy will free more mopes from their mental gymnastics and allow them to lead more productive — and happier — lives.