The Power Of Hope: Dr. Curt Richter's Experiment On Mice

We all know very well the power of positive thinking but is there a certain limit?

Recently I have read an interesting research done in 1957 by Professor Curt Richter who was psychobiologist and geneticist at Johns Hopkins University.His discoveries on biological rhythms and the circadian rhythm were very remarkable and catchy but another study on mice was even catchier, a little bit terrifying at the beginning and fascinating at the end.

The Experiment:

Dr Curt took 2 groups of domesticated mice and put them in glasses filled with water to watch them drown.The idea was to measure the amount of time they swam before they gave up and die.The average survival time was around 15 min, one group died in despair very quickly and the other one was saved just before they die.

24 hours later that same group was put into the same circumstances and the result was simply magnificent, they swam for 3 days before they become fully exhausted and die.Not 1 hour or 2 hours, more than 72 hours that's 228 times the average survival time!

So how did it increase from 15 min to over 72 hours?

The second part of the experiment was trapping 34 wild rats for days until they became very aggressive and fierce.Wild rats are known for their good swimming abilities, after a while he took them out of their cages and dropped them into the water, after a while all of the 34 rats died.What really killed these rats? Many unanswered questions.

Interpretation:

Scientists believe that in the first part of the experiment experience was the key.In other words, mice's survival instinct told them to keep fighting until they are saved for the last time.As for the second part of the experiment anger and despair killed the rats not the lack of swimming abilities

What we call emotions and instincts are just a bunch of chemical reactions that happen in the central nervous system built through our experiences and inner beliefs.They determine a part of who we are, how we will act and who we will become.Who knows? Maybe mice also have emotions but just not as complicated as we are.

How can we relate this to ourselves?

Our personal experiences differ and they affect how we see the world and how we see ourselves.For example, a  person can worry a lot about a stupid problem just because he has so many broken experiences.

The Despair and the negative thoughts are deadly and only through hope and Positive thinking we can survive life's obstacles.Thinking positive doesn't only give you mental strength but physical strength also.We are all connected to each other and everything is somehow out of our control, so don't waste your time trying to control everything, instead, learn how to think positively and act on it.If you ever get caught in an endless loop of thinking, do something distractful or anything to escape from it and remember always: if you want a positive outcome of life, think positive!

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 References & Sources:  

http://theinquisition.eu/wordpress/2009/science/porsolt-test/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3353513/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioural_despair_test

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