The Latin saying ‘Cognito ergo sum’ meaning ‘I think, therefore I am’ or Gandhi’s popular proverb ‘Man is just a product of his thoughts – what he thinks, he becomes’ is a testament to the power of thought. Thoughts can make or break us – and they definitely shape our personality. Today we will look why thoughts are important for your personality.
Why Thoughts Are Important For Your Personality?
Thoughts impact our emotional moods and thus our actions
It is no shock that emotions form the basis of our actions. When we feel afraid of an insect, we recoil. Or when you feel joyous, we smile and dance. And when you feel excited, you hug someone. All of these are products of your emotion, and the basis of emotion itself is thought. In a psychological theory given by James-Lange, the cognitive appraisal of a situation – the thought that interprets an emotion – accompanies physiological arousal to create the feeling of an emotion. And action follows this emotion, which then serves as a reinforcement to your personality – ‘I did this so I must be like this’.
Recurrence of thoughts cements things in memory
Memory is basically a repetition of events, things or people in within the mindspace which creates physical impressions in the brain. So basically, whatever you bring to your mind often stays more in your memory. And of course, memories have implications on your personality. Memories prove to you that you are a certain way, that people see you in a certain way, that you perceive life a certain way. This the repetition of thoughts in your mind causes them to take permanent root in your memory. And this memory then tells you what to think of yourself.
Thoughts filter what you pay attention to
The human capacity for attention is very limited. Even though thousands of sensations impinge on our senses every second, we take in only a few. Now which ones you take in, depends on your thought process. When you think certain thoughts repeatedly, you form a frame of mind, or a way of thinking. Something like a pathway that’s clean and maintained due to usage being a default mode of travel than another path that is muddy and grassy due to unuse. Similarly, the path your thoughts chart will determine what you stimuli you take in and pay attention to. This in turn will determine your personality, based on what you like to attend to the most.
Positive thoughts develop self-confidence and boost self-esteem
Although toxic positivity is rampant and negative emotions play important functions in our lives, positive thinking does have benefits, Not only does having positive thoughts put you into a positive and productive mindset, but also boosts your self concept. Now your self definition, or self concept is a holistic version of your imagined self. And when you train yourself to think positively, you will evaluate yourself as well as the world positively. This will make you happier and confident in your skin because you are looking at yourself and the world in positive light.
Thoughts determine our interactions with the world
Finally, thoughts shape our interactions in the world. The personality comprises many things, but one among them is our social self – how we interact and deal with the world. Basically, if you think negatively, you’re likely to indulge in gossip, complaining conversations and rants. On the other hand, with positive thinking, you’re likely to engage in meaningful and interactive conversations that fulfil you. Of course, you will evaluate your relationships based on the quality of conversations and interactions in them. And since you place and locate your social self in a world full of networks, your evaluation of your personality will depend on this. And of course, whether you become a complaint register or a fun loving person depends on this too.
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