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Finding Silver Linings

Participants start by making a list of five things about their life that are enjoyable, enriching, or worthwhile . Then they write about a time when something was difficult, unpleasant, or things did not go their way. After that, participants think of and write down 3 silver linings, or positive insights or outcomes related to or emergent from that difficult situation.

Reasoning

Looking on the bright side of life in general, or of a bad situation in particular, can increase happiness by boosting peoples’ sense of self-worth, and increasing motivation to pursue goals, and enhancing overall enjoyment in life. Regularly completing the silver linings exercise can help people get in the habit of recognizing positive aspects of life and seeing the upside to challenging situations rather than fixating on the downsides. With repeated practice, people may find that it is easier, or comes more naturally to look on the bright side, even when faced with difficulties in life.

Procedure

Participants will list 5 things they can think of that make their life enjoyable or enriching at this moment. Then they will think about a recent time when something was unpleasant, difficult, or didn’t go their way and they felt frustrated or upset, and write a brief description of that situation. Lastly, participants are instructed to list three positive outcomes that represent the bright side of that difficult experience.

Primary Citation & Study Summary:

Sergeant, S., & Mongrain, M. (2014). An online optimism intervention reduces depression in pessimistic individuals. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 82(2), 263-274.

After completing Finding Silver Linings and the Goal Visualization exercises daily for three weeks, people reported greater engagement in life and less negative thinking than before. Those who had a tendency to be pessimistic especially benefited from the exercises and showed fewer depressive symptoms afterward. These effects seemed to wear off two months later, though, suggesting it’s helpful to repeat this practice periodically.

Evidence

Participants in the above study were all English speakers from Asia, Canada, and the United States, with mostly European or Asian ancestry. Around 65% of the participants were female, and 85% had received at least some post-secondary education.

Additional research has engaged members of other groups:

  • Participants in Canada across genders, ages, and education levels improved in well-being after practicing Finding Silver Linings.

Additional cited References

Drozd, F., Mork, L., Nielsen, B., Raeder, S., & Bjørkli, C. A. (2014). Better days—A randomized controlled trial of an internet-based positive psychology intervention. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(5), 377–388.

Sergeant, S., & Mongrain, M. (2015). Distressed users report a better response to online positive psychology interventions than nondistressed users. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 56(3), 322–331.

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