One of
the stereotypes many people hold is that happy people are optimistic fools who
don’t understand what is going on in the real world. If you one of those people, read on!
Just so
we are on the same page, optimism is a general disposition to expect the best
in all things. Optimism gives us the sense that no matter what the situation,
everything is happening for the best. Optimists are people who expect good
things to happen to them. And in my
personal experience, such optimism is a
rapid highway to lasting happiness :-)!
In 2006,
Sonja Lyubormirski and Kennon Sheldon’s research proved that people who
envision the best possible future for themselves tend to experience increased
personal well-being. The study also showed that the consistent practice of an
optimistic outlook will not only increase, but will sustain, happiness over
time.
When
happiness challenges arise, how you respond will depend on whether you are an
optimist or a pessimist. Optimists are likely to expect to have positive
outcomes even when things are hard. Their confidence in the positive outcome
yields positive emotions.
Research
shows optimism predicts lower levels of depressive symptoms in a number of
studies. There was a surge of research
in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, which indicated:
A
general sense of optimism about life leads to a high satisfaction with life.
Higher
levels of optimism predicts lower levels
of distress.
Optimism
relates to psychological adjustment both directly and also indirectly through a
sense of personal efficacy (the ability
to think “I can do it!”)
Optimism
has a positive effect on psychological
well-being among people with medical problems and their care givers.
Optimism
is related to lower depression and
higher levels of psychological well-being
Higher
levels of optimism upon entering college predict lower levels of psychological
distress toward the end of the first semester.
All this
in not an accident!
Sometimes optimists get a bad rap for not being “realistic”. However, in the Handbook of Positive
Psychology, two top researchers on optimism, Charles Carver and Michael Scheier
(2002), explain, “Optimists are not
simply people who stick their heads in the sand and ignore threats to their
well-being. Indeed they attend to risks,
but selectively. They focus on risks that
are applicable to them and also are related to potentially serious health
problems. If the potential health problem is minor, or if it is unlikely to
bear on them, optimists do not show elevated vigilance emerge. Optimists appear
to scan their surroundings for threats to well-being but save their behavioral
responses for threats that are truly meaningful.”
In other
words Optimistic people are likely to take
action steps to ensure the positive quality of their future!
For
example, Optimists report having more health promoting behaviors than
pessimists.
Optimism
relates to an increase in the likelihood of exercise, vitamin intake, and the
consumption of low-fat foods.
Optimists
make an effort to reduce their risk to safeguard their health!
Do you
see now that optimistic and happy people are in fact smart, hardworking, and
experience many benefits in life?! So now are you ready to cultivate optimism
for yourself?
Yes,
that’s right, even if you are pessimistic now, you can learn how to become much
more optimistic, it’s just a matter of changing how you think :-)!
In late
October 2007, ground breaking happiness research proved that there is in fact
an optimism center of the brain! Science Daily (October 25th, 2007) reports,
A neural
network that may generate the human tendency to be optimistic has been
identified by researchers at New York University. As humans, we expect to live
longer and be more successful than average, and we underestimate our likelihood
of getting a divorce or having cancer. The results, reported in Nature, link
the optimism bias to the same brain regions that show irregularities in
depression.
(The
study was conducted by a team of researchers from the laboratory of NYU
Professor Elizabeth Phelps. The lead author is Tali Sharot, now a post-doctoral
fellow at University College London).
This shows
that if we exercise the optimism part of our brain we will indeed be
happier! This is really monumental
research in the new science of happiness. Go get your rose colored glasses!
For the
actual transition from pessimism to optimism, researchers look to cognitive
behavioral therapy to help you train your brain differently. I am not asking
you to ignore horrible things going on around you, just try to have faith that
everything happens for a reason. You can
be a “realistic optimist.”
In addition to controlling your thoughts in response to happiness challenges, I
think it is essential for you to know that you are in the hands of the universe
and you can develop faith in the concept that everything will work out just
fine. No matter what, we are part of a plan, and although we do have free will,
there has been a destiny laid out for us.
Have faith and be optimistic!
Keep a
journal in which you imagine and write about the best possible future for
yourself. Right now, start brainstorming
about what that future will look like for you :-)…
For more
great ideas and tools to help you cultivate your optimism, visit my self help
store!
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Dr. Aymee Coget, a widely-known happiness expert, has more than 15 years of experience in positive psychology. Through the Happiness Makeover™, a program developed by Coget, she teaches people how to achieve happiness and handle life's challenges. She also serves as CEO and founder of the American Happiness Association, a science-backed nonprofit designed to educate individuals and organizations about how to be happier, and was nominated for CNN Hero of the Year in 2011.
