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Happy Life Tip of the Week, Issue #115-Optimist June 02, 2011 |
Be an optimist to have more fun and get more done.The most controversial topic in happiness, the one most likely to spark emotional and passionate debate, is the comparative value of optimism versus pessimism. Studies have shown that optimists do tend to overestimate the amount of control they have in laboratory studies where the subject has no control. Pessimists use this data to argue that optimists will take wild risks because they assume the best will always occur and they will always be in control. This argument goes back to the 1600's when the term optimism was first used by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to describe the philosophy that since God is good and God created the world, this is the best of all possible worlds. Many people naively extended this to the belief that God would not let anything bad happen; a belief that became wildly popular until the Lisbon earthquake in 1755. The resulting disillusionment led to the famous play Candide, by Voltaire that mocked the philosophy of optimism. The problem with this history and the philosophical arguments around it is the extremism built into each point of view. When studying the comparative benefits of an optimistic versus pessimistic outlook today, scientists test for the tendency to see the best versus a tendency to see the worst. Healthy, well balanced people will always do both depending on the situation, but will tend to lean more in one direction or the other by habit. And optimism or pessimism is a habit that we learn, not a genetic trait we inherit. Under this more balanced, scientific definition, the benefits of optimism over pessimism are overwhelming. Optimists live longer, are more likely to take care of themselves, recover faster from setbacks, and are happier and more satisfied with their lives overall. The underlying reason seems to be that optimists believe that their actions will make a difference so they are far more likely to take action on the things they can do right now to improve their situation, relationship, or outlook and it pays off. The movie, Happy Go Lucky is a great study in healthy optimism and the impacts of optimism versus pessimism on a happy life. So the next time you feel discouraged or overwhelmed, take a moment to look for the positive and the areas where action might make a difference, then take action where you can. In short, - Be an optimist to have more fun and get more done.AffirmationI know my actions make a difference. I look for the good and the opportunity in every situation and take action to enhance that good. Journal or Meditation Question Am I an optimist or a pessimist by nature? Do I believe that optimistically taking action to improve my situation puts me in danger? When could I risk an optimistic viewpoint more? To Subscribe
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