Our new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is a big advocate of positive thinking. Indeed its power is at the heart of his plan to deliver Brexit, unite the country, defeat Jeremy Corbyn and energise the UK.

The New Scientist claims that there may be downsides to relying so heavily on emotion and so lightly on facts, “Beware the cult of positivity. Research suggests that fantasising about successfully reaching your goals – whether it is losing weight, snaring your dream partner or landing a promotion – makes it less likely that you will actually achieve them.

That’s because fantasies conveniently skip to the end of a challenge, remaining sketchy on what is needed to get there. This tricks the body into relaxing as if it had already crossed the finish line. Blood pressure drops, robbing the brain of the fuel it needs to really get stuck in. Several studies have also linked positive fantasies about the future to an increased likelihood of depression months later.”

Let’s hope they are completely wrong!