Such findings should cause the PNI-literate positive thinker to pause and think, for they suggest the possibility of skipping the placebo and encouraging direct interaction between thoughts and the body. If perceptions, like placebo procedures, can affect tissue, perhaps you can have a hand in writing emotional prescriptions to strengthen your immunity. Philip C. Kendall, Ph.D., professor of psychology who studied healthy thinking under a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, has some suggestions. He teaches anxious young clients how to think through their life stories with a positive slant in his program at Philadelphia's Temple University. But contrary to popular belief, Kendall's research has also shown that trying to think positively all the time can become an exercise in frustration.
Depression results when a person has two or more negative thoughts for each two positive ones.
A ratio of two positive thoughts to one negative-that's healthy. Don't assume that everyone will like you, for instance-that's not going to happen. And be careful how you explain to yourself what does occur. Take credit for positive outcomes and don't blame yourself for all negative outcomes. How you see the cause of things shapes the way you experience life, so it's healthy to have a bias toward explanations that put you in a positive light.