Believing that a negative personality trait has a positive ‘silver lining’ is enough to boost performance in that area, a new study finds.

The key is to be yourself and believe in yourself.

While the study only tested the silver lining link between impulsiveness and creativity, people freely endorsed all sorts of others silver linings to personal traits they thought of as negative.

Here are some of the other silver linings that people endorsed about themselves (negative trait first, then silver lining):

• Negative: Careless. Silver lining: Good-natured.
• Depressed — Practical.
• Fear of failure — Drive to do well in everything.
• Lazy — Patient.
• Over-analytical — Thorough.
• Pessimistic — Realistic.
• Shy — Modest.

It may not even be important that these silver linings are ‘true’, just that people believe that they are.

Fortunately, it seems most people do believe their negative personality traits have silver linings.