Question: Your views on mental illness seem kind of idealistic, do you think by just thinking positive it makes someone's situation better?

Steven Brown answered on 15 Jun 2017:

It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?

It all checks out – there’s a huge list of studies that demonstrate the effects of positive emotions. For instance, experiencing positive emotions do not just make us feel good, but can improve problem-solving skills, physical strength and cardiovascular health, even the quality and quantity of friendships – and developing resilience. Resilience is something I am particular interested in. Young people need to learn how to accept the reality of failing – I think there’s a lot of pressure on them to be perfect, and excel in everything – it’s just not practical.

The way positive emotions help is via the so-called broaden and build theory – by experiencing positive emotions you embrace more opportunities, are more aware of your environment – and options. You no longer see the world in black and white, as many people do – especially with mental health problems.

I do this thing every night where I recap three things that went well – and once a week I keep a diary to log all of the good things in my life. It’s not possible for me to definitively say that it makes me happy, but I know that it does. It keeps me focused on the good. It’s a bit like going to the gym – you only notice if you stop going. You don’t notice the benefits at the time. I guess you just have to believe in this positive emotion idea and run with it – it does work, if you let it.

Back when we were threatened by dinosaurs and all sorts it made sense to be hyper aware of threats, but not anymore. But, our brains are wired to notice danger and focus on bad things. It takes a bit of deception to trick your brain into actually taking a step back to reflect on what is going on. If you are sad, you cannot do this. If you are happy, you can. You can observe the world as it is – beautiful, compassionate, fun, safe.

If you just go with the news you will think the world is bad, but it’s not. Poverty and hunger have been halved globally in a generation. Violence is in constant decline. It is safer than ever to fly in planes, etc. These are all facts. But if you are in a bad mood, you simply will not recognise these as facts.