have conducted studies that ask test subjects in a variety of situations to engage in mental scenarios related to a goal. Women trying to lose weight, injured people hoping to heal, and students aiming to get good grades, a date, or a job were asked to imagine different outcomes for their quest. Later researchers checked back to see what had happened. The more optimistic each person had been about his or her outcomes, the worse the results. As Oettingen explains, positive thinking can fool our minds into perceiving that we’ve already attained our goal, which slackens our readiness to pursue
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