Positive Thinking is Total BS — Here's What You Should Do Instead
Feb 27, 2025
Read time: 4 minutes
The unexpected mind training method that transforms your mental health in just three days
Positive thinking is a complete waste of time.
It actually makes things worse.
Let me explain.
That voice in your head won't shut up.
"You can’t do this."
"They're better than you."
"You're not ready."
So-called experts tell you to try positive thinking:
Just say: “I’ve got this."
Repeat: “I'm the best."
Remember: “Everything happens for a reason."
But the negative thoughts keep coming back.
What if we've been doing it all wrong?
Researchers at Cambridge University just turned decades of psychology upside down with a groundbreaking study.
They found that suppressing negative thoughts doesn't harm your mental health.
It helps it.
This shatters conventional wisdom.
For years, therapists have warned against thought suppression.
"Don't think about a pink elephant" supposedly makes you think about pink elephants more.
Professor Michael Anderson led a team that trained 120 people worldwide to suppress thoughts about negative events.
The results were clear: these thoughts became less vivid. Mental health improved.
Even participants with likely PTSD saw their negative mental health scores drop by 16%.
This isn't about forcing fake positivity though.
The "Good vibes only" culture creates its own problems.
It's about something way more powerful: learning to control your mind rather than letting it control you.
Ancient wisdom has always known this truth:
"One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well." – Bhagavad Gita 6:5
Think about it this way:
The Positive Thinking Trap
Having positive thoughts is easy.
Keeping a positive relationship with your mind is hard.
Society tells us to plaster over negative emotions with positive catchy phrases:
- "Just look on the bright side!"
- "Good vibes only!"
- “You can do anything you put your mind to”
This approach fails for two reasons:
First, it creates what psychologists call "toxic positivity"—denying your actual experiences.
Second, it misunderstands how your mind works.
The question isn't whether you should think positive or negative thoughts.
It's whether your thoughts control you or you control them.
What The Cambridge Study Actually Found
The researchers asked participants to practice suppressing fearful thoughts over three days.
The training was simple:
- Acknowledge the negative thought
- Look directly at the reminder cue
- Block any images or thoughts it might trigger
- Do not use diversionary thoughts
The results?
Participants reported their suppressed thoughts became:
- Less vivid
- Less emotionally distressing
- Less frequent
And these benefits lasted.
Three months later, those who continued practicing the technique showed the most significant improvements in depression and negative emotions.
One participant even taught the technique to her daughter and mother.
This isn't surprising to those who study ancient wisdom.
What Stoics and Yogis Knew All Along
The Stoics had a practice called "premeditatio malorum" or "negative visualisation."
Unlike modern positive thinking, they deliberately contemplated worst-case scenarios.
They didn't suppress negative thoughts - they intentionally examined potential hardships to build resilience and appreciation for the present.
Yet, Marcus Aurelius still wrote:
"You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."
The sage Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati put it more bluntly. He advised to "beat the mind with a shoe a hundred times a day."
Not literally, of course. But the principle is powerful: don't let your mind control you.
Both traditions understood something modern psychology is just catching up to:
You don't need to force positive thoughts. You need to stop being controlled by negative ones.
The Real Solution: Mind Control, Not Thought Policing
Your brain produces around 6,000 thoughts per day. Many will be negative. That's normal.
The difference between high performers and everyone else isn't the absence of negative thoughts.
It's how they handle them.
Top performers are:
- Aware of negative thoughts
- Agile with their responses
- Able to encounter them without self-criticism
They don't try to have 100% positive thoughts. They learn to see thoughts as temporary visitors, not permanent residents.
How to Actually Train Your Mind
The Cambridge study used a specific technique with participants. Here's what they actually did:
- Identify specific negative thoughts Participants listed 20 personal fears and worries that repeatedly intruded in their thoughts.
- Create cue words For each negative scenario, they created a cue word that would trigger that thought.
- Practice direct suppression When shown the cue word, they would:
- First acknowledge the thought
- Continue looking at the cue
- Actively block any images or thoughts it triggered
- Importantly, they were instructed NOT to use diversionary thoughts
- Short, consistent practice Just 20 minutes of practice daily for three days produced lasting results.
The researchers found that this direct approach—not replacing or analysing negative thoughts, but simply stopping them—was effective for most participants.
Within three days, the thoughts became less vivid, less distressing, and less frequent.
A Simple Exercise to Start Today
Next time a negative thought appears:
- Notice it. "There's that thought again."
- Don't fight it or replace it. Just decide not to engage.
- Return your attention to what matters right now.
That's it. No affirmations. No forced positivity. Just mental clarity.
This isn't the mental education we learned in school. But it's the one that makes the biggest difference.
Stop trying to think positive all the time.
Start practicing control over which thoughts you allow to take root.
Your inner voice can be your greatest coach or your worst enemy. The difference isn't in what it says, but in whether you let it direct your life.
To making your mind work for you (not against you),
Dr Yannick
P.S. Want to explore this topic further? Read my article "Your Inner Voice: The Most Powerful Coach You'll Ever Have" where I dive deeper into how your inner dialogue shapes your success. I explain how to transform your critical inner voice into your strongest ally.
