The Power of Negative Visualization

How imagining the worst can sometimes make life better

Photo by Nachristos on Unsplash

Most self-help gurus stress the importance of a positive mindset. They encourage you to visualize the future you want and take steps that will help you make that vision a reality. But doing the opposite - visualizing worst-case scenarios - can also be helpful.

Obviously, dwelling on those frightening possibilities too often is not beneficial. It may not be helpful to intentionally think about them at all if you already feel depressed or anxious about the future.

But deliberately imagining the worst can have at least three major benefits.

1. Imagining the worst can help us see that the present isn’t as bad as we think.

Imagine you’re less than thrilled with your job. Now imagine the worst possible future if you didn’t have that job. Without that income, you could lose electricity because you can no longer pay the bill. You could be forced into bankruptcy. You could become homeless. You could starve to death.

When you envision those possibilities, your job doesn’t seem as bad. It beats those alternatives. You may still look for a better one, or another way to generate the income you need. But it’s easier to see the benefits of the job you have now and be grateful for it.

The same is true for other aspects of life. For example, the political and economic realities of life in the United States today (especially in Texas, where I live) deeply upset me. There are other countries I might prefer to live in.

But there are also many benefits of living here I take for granted (though it’s important to note that not every U.S. resident has them). When I’m inconvenienced by a clogged toilet, temporary boil water advisory, or power outage, I imagine how miserable I would be if I lived in a country where flushing toilets, safe water, and electricity were not available.

When my car dies, I imagine having to walk for miles every day just to gather food or water. When grocery prices seem unreasonable, or the store is out of what I need, I imagine how much harder life would be if I lived in a country that didn’t even have grocery stores.

Imagining those possibilities makes me much more grateful to live in the United States.

2. Imagining the worst can help us prevent or reduce the likelihood of that outcome.

The most obvious example of this is death. We will all die at some point, of course. But we can significantly reduce the risk of dying prematurely, or from specific causes. Some smokers quit because they imagine dying of lung cancer or COPD they could have prevented. (According to the CDC, about 80% of COPD deaths and 90% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking.)

Some people wear seatbelts to reduce the likelihood of dying in car accidents (front-seat passengers who buckle up lower that risk by 45%). Some eat healthy diets proven to lower the risk of dying from specific diseases.

Imagining worst-case death scenarios can also motivate other preventative behaviors. For example, I remember one time when I was a child and my parents took a trip. To ensure that my siblings and I would not be orphaned if the plane crashed, they booked separate flights instead of traveling together.

3. Imagining the worst helps us prepare for it.

Picturing the worst possible outcome helps us prepare for it, too. In some cases, that outcome is unlikely. We can imagine it, but we don’t expect it to actually happen.

Still, we want to be prepared if it does. That’s why some of us buy insurance that will help us replace stolen items. We insure our homes so we can afford to rebuild or relocate if they are destroyed. We insure our cars so we can repair or replace them if they are damaged. We may also purchase insurance to cover specific costs like long-term care or to replace our income if we are unable to work for an extended period of time.

That’s also why parents designate legal guardians for their children just in case they die while their kids are still minors.

Other worst-case scenarios are far more likely. Death will definitely happen. People who think about their deaths in advance draft wills to ensure that their money and possessions will be distributed according to their wishes after they die. Some purchase burial plots or tell loved ones where they want their ashes spread.

When I was a pastor, occasionally people would meet with me to plan their funerals or memorial services. They had chosen or wanted me to help them choose the songs and Bible verses that would be used.

Another likely worst-case scenario is being incapable of making decisions about medical interventions at the time they are necessary to keep us alive. If we envision various life-threatening conditions and possible treatments in advance, we can prepare living wills that specify which (if any) medical interventions we want in those situations.

Final Thoughts About Negative Visualization

Like any other tool, negative visualization can be used in both helpful and harmful ways. Imagining all of the bad things that could happen, especially if there is nothing we can do to prevent or prepare for them, is not helpful.

But negative visualization can be a valuable tool when it is used properly. It can help us see that our current life isn’t as bad as we thought it was. It can make us more grateful for what we do have, and less focused on what we would like to have but don’t.

When we imagine a worst-case scenario, our desire to prevent it can help motivate us to take actions that make it less likely to happen, like quitting smoking or wearing seatbelts.

Negative visualization can also help us prepare for bad things we cannot prevent. We can draft wills and living wills. We can purchase insurance. We can do all kinds of other things to prepare for possible bad outcomes, like assembling and regularly restocking first-aid and emergency supply kits.

It’s never fun to think about terrible things that could possibly or definitely will happen in the future. But it can be helpful.