Â鶹Éç

Available for over a year

To achieve any major life goal, conventional wisdom tells us we must think positively. Picture yourself delivering the perfect presentation and it shall be so; envisage the ideal job interview and it will go well; imagine yourself sprinting first across the finish line and you will romp home as champion. While these strategies sound compelling, they have been shown to backfire. Psychology writer Oliver Burkeman explores the positivity 'backfire effect'. First broadcast on The Power of Negative Thinking, 21 November 2016.