Got a Bad Habit? This Easy Fix Really Works

Mind & Body

Got a Bad Habit? This Easy Fix Really Works

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Bad, er, less-than-stellar qualities—we’ve all got them. Luckily, finding a way to take that not-quite-fab quirk and harness its powers for good is far easier than you think. If we believe in a silver linings theory—in which a negative trait we possess is associated with a positive characteristic—we can turn our weaknesses into strengths, according to new research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 

Researchers found that participants noticed a positive outcome when they were able to find the upside of a negative chara cteristic, like procrastination or being late, because they turned their focus to the postive trait instead of the negative one. “Our experiments found that people work harder and make more of an effort to improve their positive attribute when they believe in a silver linings theory,” says Alexandra Wesnousky, a doctoral candidate at NYU and the study’s lead author.  

So how can you turn minuses into pluses? “Think about how a negative trait gets in the way of your goals, and then think about other aspects of your life that it might be associated with that are positive for you,” says Wesnousky. For example, you may be late wherever you go, but it can help if you associate that with doing too much because you’re try ing to be good mom and taking care of others. This reframing of your negative qualities, the NYU study says, may make you even better with the positive quality.

The trick is that you really have to believe there’s a true association between the traits. “This theory will only really affect your behavior when you come up with the traits—positive and negative—yourself, on your own,” says Wesnousky. It’s about de-emphasizing negative ways you view yourself and focusing—and putting more effort into—the positive qualities. “Creating and believing in a silver lining theory will help you cope with the knowledge that you do possess a negative trait,” she says. “And it can help with the restoration of well-being when you’re confronted with a trait you may not think is beneficial.”

Here, the top three “negative” traits listed by women in the study and their potential positive si des.

• If your negative trait is being pessimistic: You may see yourself as realistic and capable of viewing things as they are. It’s not a doomsday outlook; you may feel you have a more accurate read on the world.
• If your negative trait is that you procrastinate: You may work well—or even better—under pressure, or you maybe your life is so wonderfully full, you can barely squeeze everything in.
• If your negative trait is that you’re indecisive: You may spend time weighing all of your options because you're thoughtful and considerate of how your decisions impact others.

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