This 12-second brain trick promises a more positive feeling as soon as you do it - and let's be honest, who among us couldn't use more positivity in our lives?
It goes without saying that it is truly impossible to be positive all the time, even though, of course, we all want to lead long and happy lives. Inevitably, life gets in the way, and everyone goes through periods where your dopamine levels may not be as high as they usually are - and that's okay! What is no fun, however, is finding when these negative stints last, and it starts to impact your life in a severe and negative way.
If this sounds like you right now (and for those of you getting hit with seasonal affective disorder already, we feel you), you're in luck - we just learned of a brain hack that will re-wire your brain to think more positively in just 12 seconds.
We know, 12 seconds doesn't really seem like a lot - but that's really all it takes to conquer the negativity bias that's going on in your brain.
All it takes for you to start re-wiring your brain is thinking of a positive memory, visual, relationship, or otherwise for 12 seconds. For those 12 seconds, think about all of the reasons your brain would classify this memory as being a positive one. Were you happy when you experienced this? Did you witness something that moved you emotionally?
Those 12 seconds of a happy thought shift your negative bias to a positive one. It's kind of like when Peter Pan told Wendy to think happy thoughts and eventually she would be able to fly - except we're not promising that this trick will make you fly. Contact us immediately if it does, though.
If you do this consistently over time when you have negative thoughts, you might be more inclined to think on the bright side. Why? If you have previously trained your brain to shift to positive thinking when something negative happens, your brain will follow suit when you have negative thoughts in the future, shifting your brain toward positive thinking.
And we're not just making this up here - Dr. Hanson, who founded the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, gives the tip in his TedxMarin talk.
Of course, he's not saying to ignore the negative thoughts or situations in your life - but by shifting your brain into positive thinking mode, you may be able to tackle those situations easier if your brain is already on the side of success.
In fact, Dr. Hanson says this trick is powerful enough to help people with cases of PTSD overcome their negativity biases - so, yeah, it's pretty damn effective. With just 12 seconds and the willingness to recall a positive memory, you could train your brain to be more positive overall.
