Necessary but Insufficient: The Dark Side of Positivity

Neither Blind Optimism nor Cynical Pessimism

This image was created using OpenAI’s DALL-E, based on a prompt designed by Alejandro Betancourt.

“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.” — Brené Brown

Positive thinking is often touted as a cure-all for life’s problems. We’re told to visualize success, affirm positive beliefs, and focus only on the bright side. On the surface, this advice seems helpful — after all, being optimistic usually feels better than being pessimistic. But, positive thinking has a shadow side.

Positive thinking can cross over into denial and self-delusion when taken too far. In our quest to feel good, we may avoid facing difficult emotions and realities that demand our attention. This magical thinking can boost our confidence but rarely leads to meaningful change. Consider the most successful people you know — did they achieve their dreams with mere wishful thinking o…