Scientists have found an effective way to drive away sadness and cheer up

Researchers advise people to get distracted by a hobby or skill they excel at.

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During the experiment, which involved 616 people, it turned out that people can use both cognitive skills and mindfulness skills to deal with bad mood. The main thing is that a person believes that this or that skill is his strength, reports SciTechDaily.

A cognitive skill is about identifying and reassessing your negative thoughts and beliefs. And the skill of mindfulness is the awareness and acceptance of your thoughts and feelings without trying to change them. Both skills are used by psychotherapists to treat depression in their patients. In a new experiment involving 616 people, the researchers found that people who were in a bad mood improved it with a skill they were told was their strength and they were the best at it. New research suggests it could be any skill you think you’re best at. For example, you can draw, sing, dance, cook well, or have other strengths.

“We found that the subjects’ mood improved when they used either a cognitive or a conscious skill. The main thing is that they believed that this skill suits them best,” says Samuel Murphy of Ohio State University.

Most interestingly, during the experiment, participants were randomly told that they were best at one or another skill that improves mood.

“Our results show that how well the participants mastered this skill did not matter. It was the belief that they were good at these skills that improved their mood,” says Daniel Strunk from Ohio State University.

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During the experiment, the researchers briefly told the participants about two therapeutic skills – cognitive and mindfulness. They are used by psychotherapists to treat depression in their patients. Each participant was randomly told that one of the skills, cognitive or mindfulness, was their strongest or weakest skill.

The scientists then asked the participants to think about a sad situation while sad music played in the background. Naturally, all participants in the experiment were sad.

To improve their mood, the subjects tested the skills they were told best suited them. As a result, all participants said that their mood improved, but it was the belief in the power of a particular skill that led to such results.

“Here, we only studied cognitive and mindfulness skills, but there are many approaches to improving mental health. If you think one method or another works better, it probably will,” Strunk says.

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