It may seem cliché, but there is a reason why the idea of having a positive mindset is an important part of success in all aspects of life, from personal to career to relationships.

Science has determined, for example, that people who struggle with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) benefit greatly by replacing negative, worrying thought patterns with more positive ones.

If this is true for individuals with anxiety, imagine what it means for those who want to change the trajectory of their lives and careers.

Psychologists have gone further in their report – The Benefits of Frequent Positive Effects: Does Happiness Lead to Success? – published in the 2005 Psychological Bulletin published by the American Psychological Association. They claim that, contrary to popular belief, happiness leads to success rather than the other way around.

1.  People who have a positive mindset can expand on their skills.

When you’re not centered on the negative parts of a situation, in an ideal world you will consider things to be working out in a good way. This gives you the mental space to dig further into your abilities and embrace mastery. In particular, these people take “the opportunity to build their repertoire of skills for future use; or they can rest and relax to rebuild their energy after expending high levels of effort.”

2. A positive mindset gives you a broader vision.

People with a positive mindset look at difficulties in a different way. Since they now have a quiet, thankful, and receptive outlook, they can see these difficulties as promising circumstances and embrace them as privileges.

3. A positive mindset is contagious.

Have you, at any point, experienced somebody who is often unhappy? How excited were you to have to go into a meeting with that person or work with them on a project? Likely not very much. That is because people’s emotions can be infectious. The good news is, this works in two ways. Extending a glad, inspirational perspective to your partners and bosses takes care of the positive mentality of the situation. This additionally helps them see you as a healthy and beneficial part of the team.

4. Positive people live longer.

Scientists have found that individuals who have a positive mindset have a longer life expectancy rate. As a matter of fact, in a study done at the Research of Kentucky, researchers found that a gathering of nuns who showed positive energy and appreciation lived “as long as 10 years longer than the people who projected less. This gain in life expectancy is considerably larger than the gain achieved by those who quit smoking.”

5. Being positive changes your focus.

Most regularly, we are our critics. We tend to underestimate ourselves and our abilities, which can lead to a downward spiral. However, positive individuals always make sure to focus on their achievements, which, thus, keeps them motivated and focused on growing. Further, being positive means accepting failures and shortcomings as lessons to learn, rather than self-deprecating. In these ways, a positive mindset boosts self-confidence.

6. Positivity creates a trustworthy reputation.

It is a lot simpler to earn support from partners and bosses when you can advocate for yourself emphatically. You’ve shown your capacity to take on testing circumstances and turn them around in a positive manner with a positive attitude and this implies you are bound to receive the attention and support needed to advance.

Note that having a positive mentality doesn’t mean being unrealistic. We often hear about gurus touting the effectiveness of visualization and how simply visualizing your success will make it happen, but this kind of positivity is not realistic.

 Original reference link: 6 Side-Effects of a Positive Mindset – BioBridges