Author and trailblazer Ilchi Lee has long said that people should eliminate negativity from their minds in order to fully embrace positive thoughts and ideas. Now, researchers at Michigan State University have added further support to the power of hopeful thinking.
In a study, scientists found that people who believe that they can improve upon their intelligence levels learned much more from their mistakes than those who said that human brain potential is fixed.
"One big difference between people who think intelligence is malleable and those who think intelligence is fixed is how they respond to mistakes," said study co-author Jason Moser.
The researchers examined brain images of volunteers as they performed tests. They noted that when a person makes a mistake, two areas of the brain are activated. First, a reaction occurs that indicates that an individual has realized their error. Second, an activation takes place, signaling that they are committing that mistake to memory in order to avoid it in the future.
The study authors said that people who believed their intelligence was elastic experienced a greater second response after an error when compared to people who think that brain potential is finite.
"This might help us understand why exactly the two types of individuals show different behaviors after mistakes," said Moser.
Results of this study suggest that positive thoughts are integral to successful personal development training. Everyone is bound to make mistakes – it is nearly unavoidable. However, if one learns from erroneous actions, then the experience is not wasted, as something valuable is gained – life experience. This follows what Lee believes about becoming a stronger, more enlightened person.
