Dr. Rick Hanson asserts that negative emotions are very dangerous

The hustle and bustle of daily life leave us with little time to prioritize our mental health. “Neglecting” positive emotions often leads to increased stress, depression, anxiety, and even severe emotional distress. Negative thinking patterns are often at the root of these issues, compounding the problem

According to the latest report by the Ministry of Public Security in Viet Nam, 81,770 inmates were detained in 2021, with the majority citing a lack of emotional regulation as the main cause of their criminal behavior. Additionally, statistics provided by the Ministry of Health show that the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has increased by over 30% in recent years, indicating the persistence of this dangerous trend.

As the threat continues to loom large, it begs the question: what measures can we take to prevent the detrimental impact of negative thinking and its destructive consequences on our lives? Join us as we explore the reasons why positive thinking is increasingly “under siege”.

The Root Causes of Negative Thinking

Therefore, it can be said that the first cause of negative thinking is the violation of ethics in marriage, family, and society. Secondly, comparing oneself with others will diminish one’s positive energy. Thirdly, expecting others to behave favorably towards oneself, but if they ignore it, one may feel undervalued, especially in matters that one values highly.

For example, you may be very enthusiastic when interacting with someone via messaging, but when you ask them a question, they remain silent, do not respond, or occasionally check and find that they or someone else has blocked the diary, canceled the friend request, or blocked messages. In such situations, you may feel uncomfortable thinking that they lack respect and belittle others.

However, our actual survey results found that most cases are due to habits, not placing importance, being busy, or being afraid of bothering others. Even in cases where individuals are criticized directly or indirectly or spoken ill of, it is due to differences in perspectives, not thinking that one is offending the other person.

Negative causes. Illustration

The Consequences of Negative Thinking in Medicine

According to Dr. Rick Hanson, a renowned American psychologist who has researched negative bias in the human brain, the ability to remember negative memories is stronger than positive ones. Furthermore, he also highlights “the consequences of stress and disorder caused by negative thoughts, which can decrease blood oxygen levels in the brain and lead to fatigue and irritability, causing an increase in cortisol hormone production. Prolonged negative thinking can have serious effects on brain structure, potentially leading to brain shrinkage and the development of dangerous chronic complications.”

The consequences of internal brain damage. Illustration

Additionally, a study conducted by Brazilian scientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel found that the female brain contains 100 billion nerve cells, while the male brain contains only 86 billion. At the same time, Dr. Mark George observed the brain’s activity while subjects remembered sad events from their past, and found that “the neurons associated with sadness are eight times more widespread in women than men, making women twice as susceptible to depression as men.”

Meanwhile, the brain weighs between 1.2-1.4 kilograms (kg), which is about 2% of body weight, but it consumes up to 20%-25% of the body’s energy to drive nerve impulses, and the average person has an estimated 50,000-80,000 thoughts per day. Specifically, if someone concentrates on a particular issue, it will consume more energy, not to mention that persistent negative thoughts can increase blood pressure and the risk of stroke.

Photo. Dr. Rick Hanson

The negative impact has affected both personal and societal aspects of life

As per a psychology expert, “negative thoughts to enter one’s mind is the culprit behind the pain and suffering one experiences, as it forces the overwhelming emotions such as boredom, fatigue, insecurity, anxiety, suspicion, resentment, and envy, leading to destructive impulses that sabotage positive thinking and drain one’s optimism and tolerance. As a result, one may lose control and lose relationships with loved ones, friends, and even strangers.”

Negative thoughts bring suffering to oneself. Illustration

According to court reports, a sad reality in Vietnam is that on average, about 600,000 divorce cases occur each year due to emotional damage. Coupled with negative media impact on the way of thinking and living of many generations. Ms. Hanh, an educated resident of Binh Thanh District, shared, “Nowadays, I see a decline in social ethics, where negative energy emanates from both young and old people. Social media platforms are flooded with negative content, such as robbery, murder, fraud, rape, violence, and constant updates on showing off one’s lifestyle, dressing in revealing clothing, snooping on others’ private lives, posting images and messages without permission, and even exaggerating for the sake of drama. It’s no wonder that people are becoming depressed, insecure, suspicious, and hostile.”

In the opinion of Ms. Hanh, “Previously, the preservation of cultural and religious traditions was due to education and the spread of humanistic values in the community, so anyone who made a mistake was immediately condemned. However, even criticism and condemnation were conveyed in polite language, not like today.” Furthermore, she expressed, “In fact, everyone has a good nature, even criminals cannot deny the pain they feel when thinking about their parents or other loved ones, but a moment of anger and greed makes them lose their autonomy. If positive thinking is promoted based on the environment, society will undoubtedly benefit from various positive versions.”

Solutions and Strategies for Preventing the Spread of Negative Behaviors

In the biological-psychological mechanism, daily intake of healthy and beneficial knowledge and information enhances our thinking and consciousness and triggers the production of serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin hormones that boost our immune system and automatically create a sense of happiness within us. With this positive energy, we attract people around us. Therefore, a healthy brain makes us smart and contributes to a happier and more optimistic life.

Positive people are often seen as optimistic and cheerful. Illustrative 

On the contrary, when it comes to the psychological behavior in Gabriel Tarde’s Theory of Imitation, it can be understood that “every human behavior exists due to imitation”. For example, a poor person may imitate a wealthy person’s behavior, or the younger generation’s behavior may imitate that of their grandparents, parents, etc. On the other hand, the evidence also shows that “prisoners are normal people who have imitated negative behaviors from others”

In addition to the Law of Attraction, repeating a thought many times in the present will manifest in the future through the energy you create. Later, people discovered the Ho’oponopono method, an ancient ritual of the Hawaiians, which has been studied by scientists and applied to heal psychological wounds, through practicing gratitude and forgiveness to raise the frequency of vibrations, attracting only good things. As the philosopher, Guru Gobind Singh once summarized, “If you are walking with the negative person, then half of the negativity has already been transferred to you.”

By TVVN Press

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