There's an age-old belief that positivity brings happiness.
In turn, we are steadily told that we are responsible for our own life – Oprah Winfrey's powerful 44-second speech is a prime example – and encouraged to drown out pessimism. It's essentially the notion that the more optimistically we think, the more great things we will attract in our lives.
But, how true is this idea? Can it really be that simple? Well, the video below might be able to turn nonbelievers into believers.
The powerful National Geographic clip features two volunteers who are asked to take free throws under two different circumstances. First they shoot without anyone watching and then they take shots as an audience cheers or boos.
Believe it or not, their performance is affected by whether or not the audience encourages them or doubts them.
Just watch until you see how the female went from an amateur basketball player to hearing a swish.
"By cheering and giving her positive reinforcement, it's almost like we hacked her self-confidence and got her to believe more in her natural abilities," the voiceover says.
For the other volunteer, however, the outcome was just the opposite. Can you believe it?
Please SHARE if you believe in the power of positive thinking!
