tendency to resume physical exercise afterward. But it has been argued that whether positive thinking actually leads to positive outcomes depends on various other factors. Without these factors, it may lead to negative results. For example, the tendency of optimists to keep striving in difficult situations can backfire if the course of events is outside the agent's control. Another danger associated with positive thinking is that it may remain only on the level of unrealistic fantasies and thereby fail to make a positive practical contribution to the agent's life. Pessimism, on the other hand, may have positive effects since it can mitigate disappointments by anticipating failures. Positive thinking is a recurrent topic in the self-help literature. Here, often the claim is made that one can significantly improve one's life by trying to think positively, even if this means fostering beliefs that are contrary to evidence. Such claims and the effectiveness of the suggested methods are controversial and have been criticized due to their lack of scientific evidence. In the New Thought movement, positive thinking figures in the law of attraction, the pseudoscientific claim that positive thoughts can directly influence the external world by attracting positive outcomes. See also Animal cognition Freethought Outline of human intelligence – topic tree presenting the traits, capacities, models, and research fields of human intelligence, and more Outline of thought – topic tree that identifies many types of thoughts, types of thinking, aspects of thought, related fields, and more Rethinking References Further reading Bayne, Tim (21 September 2013), "Thoughts", New Scientist. 7-page feature article on the topic. Fields, R. Douglas, "The Brain Learns in Unexpected Ways: Neuroscientists have discovered a set of unfamiliar cellular mechanisms for making fresh memories", Scientific American, vol. 322, no. 3 (March 2020), pp. 74–79. "Myelin, long considered inert insulation on axons, is now seen as making a contribution to learning by controlling the speed at which signals travel along neural wiring." (p. 79.) Rajvanshi, Anil K. (2010), Nature of Human Thought, . Simon, Herbert, Models of Thought, Vol I, 1979, ; Vol II, 1989, , Yale University Press. External links Abstraction Cognitive psychology Cognitive science Cognition Concepts in metaphysics Concepts in the philosophy of mind Concepts in epistemology Concepts in metaphilosophy Consciousness studies Creativity Emergence Empiricism Free will Idealism Intelligence Mental content Mental processes Metaphysics of mind Mind–body problem Neuropsychological assessment Observation Ontology Perception Qualia Rationalism Reasoning Sensory systems Sources of