Do you feel out of love? If yes, take heart. A recent study says changing your mindset and adopting a positive attitude towards life and your partner can help you fall back in love again. The study, led by psychologists from the University of Missouri, St Louis and Erasmus University Rotterdam found that when people were positive about their partners, they were easily able to ignite back the spark that went missing.
Positive thoughts “up regulate” partners love and help them feel more attached. Negative feelings did the exact opposite. “Positive thinking can increase how much love you have for your partner for several reasons,” Yvonne Thomas, a Los Angeles-based psychologist said.
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Engaging in positivity may help individuals notice and appreciate the qualities in their partner rather than taking them for granted. Being positive helps one to be more open-hearted and hence have less defenses and barriers around them, Thomas said.
“When you are only seeing things negatively, it is all too easy for you to only see your partner’s flaws and imperfections,” Thomas added. For the study, the research team examined 40 participants, who were asked to bring 30 pictures each of their partners or ex.
They were told to look at the photos with positive thoughts about their relationship and the future. Next, they were told to do the opposite and think negatively about their relationship. Their brain scans showed that the brain waves became stronger during positive thoughts and weaker during negative ones. Interesting, when trying to get over a break-up, focusing on the negatives can possibly help, the study stated, in the paper published in the journal PLOS One.
