Never underrate the power of positive thinking — even if it is n’t your own . Anew working paper from the Harvard Business Schoolfound that praise from supporter and kin not only makes us feel good , it really amend our problem - solving skills .
Before the written report , or so half of the participants were instructed to electronic mail friends , family , or co - workers , and ask them to air in examples of different times they ’d seen the participant at their best . When the player get to begin the experiment , researchers gave them the letters their lie with ones had written . Meanwhile , the other half were given no particular encouragement .
Some of the letter of the alphabet were incredibly touching . For representative , one read :
researcher found that those who incur the letters perform importantly comfortably on the tests than those who did n’t . For model , both groups were enquire to solve “ the Duncker candle problem , ” in which a wax light must be climb on a bulwark so that wax does not drip on the floor . participant were given only the candle , a box of tacks , and a box of matches to fill out the project . While 51 percentage of the first group were able to figure out the job ( by using the boxful of tacks as a platform for the candela ) , only 19 percentage of the second group were successful .
According to the researchers , the subject illustrates the positive impingement of “ best - self activation ” on job - puzzle out power : When people are reminded of a time in the past times when they were at their good , they ’re more probable to rise to the occasion once again . And while thinking back on proud moments can be helpful , the research worker found that safe - ego energizing were most good when they came from participant ’ societal networks . positively charged retention from friends , folk , and fellow have a material impact on our power to successfully perform task under insistence . So the next time you ’re punctuate out about a big project at piece of work , it might help to become to your friends for a few discussion of encouragement . And if you want to contribute out the best in your employee or atomic number 27 - proletarian , prompt them of a time they did a outstanding job .
[ h / t : New York Magazine ]
