RETHINKING POSITIVE THINKING

What holds you back from making your dreams a reality? What is it in you that stops you from really going for it?

RETHINKING POSITIVE THINKING is about wishes and how to fulfill them. It draws on two decades of research in the science of motivation to explore a single, surprising idea: The obstacles that we think most impede us from realizing our deepest wishes can actually hasten their fulfillment.

So often in our day-to-day lives we are bombarded with the advice to think positively. Yet, as Gabriele Oettingen’s research shows, dreamers are not often doers. Simply put, the pleasurable act of dreaming allows us to fulfill our wishes virtually, sapping our energy to perform the hard work of meeting challenges in real life.

A better way to visualize our future is called “mental contrasting.” We should focus on dreams but also visualize the barriers or impediments that prevent us from achieving the ideal outcome. By simply adding realism to positive imaginings of the future, people are better able to achieve all of their goals, hopes, and desires. Those who have applied mental contrasting have become significantly more motivated to quit cigarettes, lose weight, get better grades, sustain healthier relationships, and negotiate more effectively in business situations.

Oettingen applies mental contrasting to three key areas of personal change—becoming healthier, nurturing better relationships, and performing better at work—and offers advice on how to get started with this method. So whether you are unhappy and struggling with serious problems, or just want to discover, explore, and optimize new opportunities, this book will deepen your ideas about human motivation and help you boldly chart a path ahead.

Gabriele Oettingen is a professor of Social and Developmental Psychology at New York University. Her research primarily concerns cognition, emotion, and behavior. The author is German and although she works at NYU, she apparently travels back to Germany a few times a year.