Misconceptions: Can Positive Thinking Cure Cancer?
In Summer 2023, students in Dr. Emily Stark’s Social Psychology course completed a research project where they identified a misconception related to psychology, conducted both background research and an empirical project measuring belief in that misconception, and summarized their findings in a short blog post paper. The goal was to build student research skills as well as showcase the importance of thinking critically about information encountered in the media or in popular culture. This post is one of the papers submitted for that course. For more information on this project, just use the contact page to contact Dr. Stark.
By Jordan Unrau
In 2007, on her show, Oprah Winfrey promoted a book written by Rhonda Byrne titled The Secret. This self-help book claims that we are able to shape our reality, including health, with our thoughts, even going so far as to claim that cancer can be prevented and/or treated with positive thinking and visualization. Soon after the episode, a viewer named Kim Tinkham wrote to Oprah and informed her that she had decided to cease all medical treatment and utilize the methods promoted in The Secret to fight her breast cancer. Although Oprah soon clarified her thoughts on the book’s claims and urged Kim to resume her medical treatment, the damage had been done. A few years later, Kim passed away.
The idea of mind over matter is by no means a new trend. For decades, people have held the opinion that a positive attitude and outlook on life leads to a healthier outcome and fewer serious medical conditions. While some studies have shown that positive thinking and visualization can lessen the mental burden of severe physical illness, it does not always lessen the likelihood of obtaining these conditions. Many of these studies failed to utilize the proper randomized clinical trials required to make such claims. Others focused on the reduction of side-effects as opposed to survival (Coyne et al, 2007). These studies and the media surrounding them do not properly disclaim that cancer cannot be prevented or cured using positive thinking and/or visualization, leading to misunderstandings and ultimately death for many of those who believe the myth.
While positive thinking and visualization can reduce stress, studies have shown that reduced levels of self-reported stress in one’s life does not lead to better breast cancer outcomes (Nielsen et al, 2005). One study with a sample of 37,562 female nurses even found that the nurses with the highest measured level of stress in their jobs were 17% less likely to develop breast cancer than those with the lowest measured levels of stress (Schernhammer et al, 2004). This finding contradicts the idea that lower stress, which may be achieved through positive thinking and visualization, prevents cancer, or leads to a better outcome in cancer patients. When patients are unable to reach their cancer treatment goals, this myth can perpetuate feelings of responsibility and fault. Patients may think that they would have a better cancer outcome if they had tried harder or had been more positive in the past (Ruthig et al, 2012). This is also an unfair burden to put on cancer patients with a history of mental illness, who are even less responsible for or able to control their outlook on situations and life in general.
In my own survey of college-level students taking a psychology course and their networks, 65% of participants somewhat or strongly disagreed with the statement that positive thinking can prevent cancer (Figure 1). Of the same participants, 75% somewhat or strongly disagreed that visualization techniques can cure cancer (Figure 2). This left a concerning 35% and 25%, respectively, who did not disagree with these statements. Unfortunately, these attitudes are even more common in women who have survived breast cancer. One survey from 2001 reports that 42.2% of women who have survived breast cancer believe that stress was the primary cause of their cancer. 60% of the same women believe that a positive attitude is preventing recurrence (Stewart et al, 2001). Due to the seemingly random occurrence of cancer in the population, this myth is likely still common today, especially due to the perpetuation and misunderstanding of many studies about the topic and the media surrounding it.
Meta-analysis of studies correlating positive thinking and cancer have shown that there is a large misunderstanding by media and the public as to what the studies are concluding. It is important that readers fully understand the context of these select studies before making judgments, and especially before making treatment decisions based on them. Positive thinking and visualization certainly may help alleviate the stress involved with cancer treatment for many people. However, there is no concrete evidence that positive thinking and/or visualization can prevent or cure cancer. Furthermore, the continuance of this myth may lead to additional stress for patients who are unable to meet their cancer treatment goals. Positive thoughts can help with a lot of things in life. It can assist in coping with big changes and stressful situations, but it has its limitations. There are steps that can be taken to lessen one’s chance of developing cancer, but unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as visualizing a cancer-free future. When it comes to cancer treatment and prevention, it is best to take the advice of trusted physicians and researchers who are trained to understand and be critical of studies and experiments that seem too good to be true. Unfortunately, they often are.
References
Coyne, J.C., Stefanek, M., & Palmer, S.C. (2007). Psychotherapy and Survival in Cancer: The Conflict Between Hope and Evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 133(3), 367–394. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.3.367
Nielsen, N. R., Zhang, Z.-F., Kristensen, T.S., Netterstrøm, B., Schnohr, P., & Grønbæk, M. (2005). Self reported stress and risk of breast cancer: Prospective cohort study. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 331(7516), 548–550. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.38547.638183.06
Schernhammer, E. S., Hankinson, S. E., Rosner, B., Kroenke, C. H., Willett, W. C., Colditz, G. A., & Kawachi, I. (2004). Job stress and breast cancer risk: The nurses’ health study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 160(11), 1079–1086. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwh327
Ruthig, J.C., Holfeld, B., & Hanson, B. L. (2012). The role of positive thinking in social perceptions of cancer outcomes. Psychology & Health, 27(10), 1244–1258. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2012.666549
Stewart, D.E., Cheung, A.M., Duff, S., Wong, F., McQuestion, M., Cheng, T., Purdy, L., & Bunston, T. (2001). Attributions of cause and recurrence in long-term breast cancer survivors. Psycho-Oncology, 10(2), 179–183. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.497