Audiobook5 hours
Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation
Written by Gabriele Oettingen
Narrated by Karen Saltus
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
“The solution isn't to do away with dreaming and positive thinking. Rather, it's making the most of our fantasies by brushing them up against the very thing most of us are taught to ignore or diminish: the obstacles that stand in our way.”
So often in our day-to-day lives we're inundated with advice to “think positively.” From pop music to political speeches to commercials, the general message is the same: look on the bright side, be optimistic in the face of adversity, and focus on your dreams. And whether we're trying to motivate ourselves to lose weight, snag a promotion at work, or run a marathon, we're told time and time again that focusing on fulfilling our wishes will make them come true.
Gabriele Oettingen draws on more than twenty years of research in the science of human motivation to reveal why the conventional wisdom falls short. The obstacles that we think prevent us from realizing our deepest wishes can actually lead to their fulfillment. Starry-eyed dreaming isn't all it's cracked up to be, and as it turns out, dreamers are not often doers.
While optimism can help us alleviate immediate suffering and persevere in challenging times, merely dreaming about the future actually makes people more frustrated and unhappy over the long term and less likely to achieve their goals. In fact, the pleasure we gain from positive fantasies allows us to fulfill our wishes virtually, sapping our energy to perform the hard work of meeting challenges and achieving goals in real life.
Based on her groundbreaking research and large-scale scientific studies, Oettingen introduces a new way to visualize the future, called mental contrasting. It combines focusing on our dreams with visualizing the obstacles that stand in our way. By experiencing our dreams in our minds and facing reality we can address our fears, make concrete plans, and gain energy to take action.
In Rethinking Positive Thinking, Oettingen applies mental contrasting to three key areas of personal change- becoming healthier, nurturing personal and professional relationships, and performing better at work. She introduces readers to the key phases of mental contrasting using a proven four-step process called WOOP-Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan-and offers advice and exercises on how to best apply this method to daily life. Through mental contrasting, people in Oettingen's studies have become significantly more motivated to quit smoking, lose weight, get better grades, sustain fulfilling relationships, and negotiate more effectively in business situations.
Whether you are unhappy and struggling with serious problems or you just want to improve, discover, and explore new opportunities, this book will deepen your ideas about human motivation and help you boldly chart a new path ahead.
So often in our day-to-day lives we're inundated with advice to “think positively.” From pop music to political speeches to commercials, the general message is the same: look on the bright side, be optimistic in the face of adversity, and focus on your dreams. And whether we're trying to motivate ourselves to lose weight, snag a promotion at work, or run a marathon, we're told time and time again that focusing on fulfilling our wishes will make them come true.
Gabriele Oettingen draws on more than twenty years of research in the science of human motivation to reveal why the conventional wisdom falls short. The obstacles that we think prevent us from realizing our deepest wishes can actually lead to their fulfillment. Starry-eyed dreaming isn't all it's cracked up to be, and as it turns out, dreamers are not often doers.
While optimism can help us alleviate immediate suffering and persevere in challenging times, merely dreaming about the future actually makes people more frustrated and unhappy over the long term and less likely to achieve their goals. In fact, the pleasure we gain from positive fantasies allows us to fulfill our wishes virtually, sapping our energy to perform the hard work of meeting challenges and achieving goals in real life.
Based on her groundbreaking research and large-scale scientific studies, Oettingen introduces a new way to visualize the future, called mental contrasting. It combines focusing on our dreams with visualizing the obstacles that stand in our way. By experiencing our dreams in our minds and facing reality we can address our fears, make concrete plans, and gain energy to take action.
In Rethinking Positive Thinking, Oettingen applies mental contrasting to three key areas of personal change- becoming healthier, nurturing personal and professional relationships, and performing better at work. She introduces readers to the key phases of mental contrasting using a proven four-step process called WOOP-Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan-and offers advice and exercises on how to best apply this method to daily life. Through mental contrasting, people in Oettingen's studies have become significantly more motivated to quit smoking, lose weight, get better grades, sustain fulfilling relationships, and negotiate more effectively in business situations.
Whether you are unhappy and struggling with serious problems or you just want to improve, discover, and explore new opportunities, this book will deepen your ideas about human motivation and help you boldly chart a new path ahead.
Related to Rethinking Positive Thinking
Related audiobooks
Learned Hopefulness: The Power of Positivity to Overcome Depression Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Happy at Last: The Thinking Person's Guide to Finding Joy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conscious Luck: Eight Secrets to Intentionally Change Your Fortune Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learned Optimism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Authentic Happiness: Using the new Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Embracing Uncertainty: Breakthrough Methods for Achieving Peace of Mind When Facing the Unknown Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Pursuit of Perfect: to Stop Chasing and Start Living a Richer, Happier Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Power of Character Strengths: Appreciate and Ignite Your Positive Personality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Happier, No Matter What: Cultivating Hope, Resilience, and Purpose in Hard Times Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Evolving Self: A Psychology for the Third Millennium Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How We Change: (And Ten Reasons Why We Don't) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Happier Human: 53 Science-Backed Habits to Increase Your Happiness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Instinct: Rewire Your Brain with Science-Backed Solutions to Increase Productivity and Achieve Success Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rest, Refocus, Recharge: A Guide for Optimizing Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Fear: Why Conquering Fear Won't Work and What to Do Instead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Positivity 101: 15 Science-Based Strategies for Cultivating Enjoyment, Gratitude, Serenity, and Awe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Distracted Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Taming Your Gremlin (Revised Edition): A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well-Being Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Know How to Set Goals, So Why Don't I Achieve Them? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Self-Improvement For You
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Twisted Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alchemist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mountain is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 48 Laws of Power Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Seduction: An Indispensible Primer on the Ultimate Form of Power Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Practicing the Power of Now Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How To Win Friends And Influence People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Win Friends and Influence People: Updated For the Next Generation of Leaders Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life, and Achieve Real Happiness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Banish Your Inner Critic: Silence the Voice of Self-Doubt to Unleash Your Creativity and Do Your Best Work Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 5 Love Languages Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If He Had Been with Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Divine Rivals: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Highly Sensitive Person Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Grief Observed Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries: When To Say Yes, How to Say No Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Rethinking Positive Thinking
Rating: 4.209677419354839 out of 5 stars
4/5
31 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I feel this book is very helpful and well-written. I'm using the WOOP method and it is working. I highly recommend the book.