In Proverbs 23:7, the Bible contains one single phrase that could alter the course of your entire life, if you let it. “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.”
Now, this is a layered statement. In the full context, in one way this passage is talking about the difference between someone’s actions and what is truly in their heart. On a different level, this passage is stating a fundamental truth. As a man thinks, so he is. Ralph Waldo Emerson put it this way, “You become what you think about all day long.” Your thoughts, more than almost anything else, will largely determine the course of your life. Let's be clear here, this isn’t conjecture, the Bible was WAY ahead of its time, making a statement that years later we are constantly finding to be more and more true via advancements in neurobiology and psychology.
- A Stanford study found that adults who believed they were less active than their peers died younger than those who believed they were more active, even if their ACTUAL activity levels were similar.
- Scientists have found that negative thoughts can cause “cognitive distortions”that can legitimately distort the way a person sees themselves, their life, their specific day-to-day situations, their relationships, and other people.
- Researchers from the University of Kentucky examined autobiographies written in 1930 by nuns living together at the same convent in their early years, between the ages of 18-32 years old and rated them on a scale of positivity. Sixty years later the researchers contacted the surviving nuns, now aged 75-90. Of those that were still alive, half had lived beyond average life expectancy. Of the longest living survivors, every single one of them scored high on positive thoughts or feelings about life in their journals written back in 1930, regardless of the circumstances.
- People with a family history of heart disease who also had a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event within five to 25 years than those with a more negative outlook.
- A significant number of studies have demonstrated positive effects of optimism; In one study, optimism predicted lower blood pressure, and another found that a positive mindset led to a substantially lower risk of rehospitalization following heart surgery.
- A study done in 2008 found that practicing gratitude activated the brain to produce dopamine (the happy chemical) and aid in regulating various negative emotions such as shame and guilt.
Now, you may read this and say, “So what? I can’t control whether I feel optimistic!” Well here’s the thing, actually, you CAN. Through the discovery of Neuroplasticity, we’ve discovered that your brain reinforces neural connections that match your habitual thinking patterns, which can shape your brain's form and function. What this means is the more you think a thought, the more you are training your brain for that thought to be reality. Negative thinking will LITERALLY train your brain to identify the negative and ignore potential positive opportunities. I’m not saying we should live in denial, sometimes things are hard to say the least. Life can be incredibly dark and difficult, and as it says in Ecclesiastes, there is a time to grieve, but life is rarely so dark that there is no good to be found, even if that joy is as small as a sunset or a cup of coffee. The Bible and science both tell us beyond the shadow of the doubt that looking for the good, and practicing a bit of gratitude, will take us a long way in our health and in our lives. As a man thinks, so he is. So, who are you going to be?
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