"More Than Simple Mental Victory"... Why People Are Enthralled by 'Wonyoung-style Thinking'

'Lucky Biki'·'Wonyoung-style Thinking' MZ Generation, Meme-ified
Boston University "Positive Thinking Increases Longevity Probability"

Recently, the positive mindset of Ive girl group member Jang Wonyoung (20), known as 'Wonyoung Thinking,' has gained popularity on social networking services (SNS).

The origin comes from a video of Jang Wonyoung's trip to Spain last year, where she happily said, "Thanks to that, I can buy freshly baked bread," after a customer in front of her bought all the bread she intended to buy. This ultra-positive mindset, which believes that everything happening to oneself will ultimately lead to a positive outcome, became a meme among the younger generation called 'Wonyoung Thinking.'

Additionally, combining the word 'lucky,' meaning fortunate, and Jang Wonyoung's English name 'Vicky,' she is also called 'Lucky Vicky' (the lucky Wonyoung).

On the 19th, EBS's 'Knowledge Channel e' featured Jang Wonyoung's special way of thinking in the episode titled 'Wonyoung Thinking That Is Actually Good.'

'Wonyoung Thinking' differs from simple positivity. It is not about forcing positivity but about clearly recognizing the situation and accepting negative aspects as processes or causes leading to positive outcomes.

Photo by Jang Wonyoung SNS

Regarding 'Wonyoung Thinking,' Jang Wonyoung once stated, "It is not 'mental victory,' which interprets even untrue things to one's advantage," and added, "Wonyoung Thinking goes beyond mental victory and holds significance in achieving true victory."

The effects of this 'Wonyoung Thinking' can be explained scientifically. Positive people activate the brain's anterior prefrontal cortex, which governs reasoning, and communicate signals with the amygdala and insular cortex responsible for emotional regulation, enabling them to overcome negative emotions more easily.

According to the 2010 journal 'Rehabilitation Psychology Research' in the study 'Research on Positive Thinking and Recovery from Mental Disorders,' positive thinking helps promote recovery from mental disorders. During the process of fully recovering from mental disorders, positive thinking serves as a practical goal, making it easier to reach recovery.

Positive thinking also affects lifespan. A 2019 study by a research team from Boston University School of Medicine tracked 69,744 women and 1,429 men over 10 to 30 years. The group classified as the most optimistic lived on average 11-15% longer than the least optimistic group. The most optimistic group had a 50-70% higher probability of surviving to age 85 compared to the least optimistic group.

This result remained unchanged even after accounting for other factors such as age, alcohol consumption, and exercise. The research team explained, "It is increasingly certain that optimism is linked to health."