MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors

Harness the Power of Suggestion for Your Happiness

Three takeaways:

• While the placebo effect in medicine has been proven to be a falsity, the strategic use of placebos in life might be an indispensable tool for your own wellbeing. You can apply “placebo” to happiness as well.
• You can use the power of suggestion to implement a placebo effect on your own mental attitudes when confronted with a negative situation. Here are three simple tips to doing so.
  1. Invent your own unhappiness remedy – you can break a negative cycle of thought or feeling with a trusted source of comfort. A familiar poem, song, walking route, or a favorite piece of gum can remind us that we are not controlled by destructive emotions.
  2. Avoid human “nocebos” – a “nocebo” would be someone or something that reinforces negative mental results. Don’t expose yourself to overly harsh or critical people – many of whom can be found on social media or cable television. If you notice that certain things make you feel worse, avoid them.
  3. Dispense the placebo to others – give that placebo effect to everyone around you, through encouragement, laughter, and other forms of kindness. Doing so will in turn make you happier.
• Negative events are always going to take place, and negative emotions are an appropriate response. However, excessive negativity makes situations worse. Self-managing emotions aids in navigating life’s challenges effectively. A homespun placebo now and again can help.

From Arthur C. Brooks at The Atlantic:
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