Facing Stress? Think About a Time You Triumphed

You’ve probably been advised to “think positive” when facing stressful or painful experiences, but a Swiss study suggests a more specific, and beneficial, tactic. Researchers instructed half of the participants to simply recall a positive event (a happy time with friends or family, for example) while the other half thought about a particular occasion when they successfully solved a tough problem or completed a trying task. Both groups were then asked to bring to mind an especially bad memory. The group that focused on a specific moment of success found this significantly less distressing than the group that summoned up a more generally positive event, suggesting that reflecting on examples of your capabilities is a better way to boost your resilience.