Does Your Positive Thinking Have An Impact On Other People?

Positive thinking can help you feel happy, because it involves thinking about your talents and skills, things that are good about you and situations that worked out in your favor. Positive thinking makes you happy because it increases your awareness that you are loved and that you love other people. Others will mimic happiness motivated by your positive thinking because of a phenomenon known as emotional contagion.

Body Language

Positive thinking promotes positive body language, such as keeping a smile on your face. According to an article on Harvard's "Working Knowledge" website, smiling can have a powerful impact on others. The article references the author Daniel McNeill by indicating courtroom judges may give lighter penalties to defendants that smile. Positive body language such as smiling also encourages other people around you to smile.

Respect

Thinking positively of others can help you show them respect, because it prevents you from harboring negative opinions of them. You respect others by protecting confidentiality, telling the truth and keeping promises. Protecting confidentiality and telling the truth encourages others to trust you and value their relationship with you as your customer, employer or friend. You can maintain the trust others put in you if you show respect by keeping your promises.

Compliments

Psychology Today reports thinking positively by acknowledging your talents and sharing your joy with others can increase your willingness to give compliments to others. Compliments help create an environment of positive energy. Giving compliments to others lets them know you notice and value them. Psychology Today reports compliments can motivate continued efforts by others, because people strive to do more of what brings praise.

Humor

Positive thinking can encourage humor that allows you to laugh with people and celebrate the joy and goofiness in life and people. Psychology Today reports humor therapy or laughter therapy is now considered mainstream medicine. Making another person laugh can stimulate his or her immune system and counteracts stress hormones in the body. Making other people laugh can also help them feel comfortable and relax.

Depression

Giving support and understanding to a friend or family member with depression can help him or her get through the disease. Positive thinking helps remind you that your friend or loved one's depression is not anyone's fault, and help you provide positive reinforcement. A depressed person may feel worthless and find fault in everything about him or herself. You can help a friend or family member with depression by pointing out his or her positive qualities and how much that person means to you.