optimism in life essay

Essay on Optimism

Students are often asked to write an essay on Optimism in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Optimism

Understanding optimism.

Optimism is a hopeful outlook towards life. It is choosing to see the bright side of things and expecting the best possible outcome.

The Power of Optimism

Optimism can boost our mood and motivation. It helps us to persevere and overcome challenges. Optimistic people are happier, healthier, and more successful.

Practicing Optimism

We can practice optimism by focusing on positive thoughts, expressing gratitude, and staying hopeful. Remember, even in tough times, there’s always something good to look forward to.

Also check:

250 Words Essay on Optimism

The concept of optimism, a mental attitude reflecting a belief or hope that the outcome of specific endeavors will be positive, is not just a mindset but a powerful tool that shapes our perception of the world. It is a beacon of light in the face of adversity, a guiding principle that encourages resilience and perseverance.

Optimism and Psychological Well-being

Optimism plays a pivotal role in psychological well-being. It is closely linked to mental health, as it can reduce the risk of depression, anxiety, and other psychological disorders. Optimists tend to see challenges as temporary hurdles, not as insurmountable obstacles. This positive outlook enables them to maintain a healthier psychological state, even in the face of adversity.

Optimism and Physical Health

Not only does optimism impact mental health, but it also has profound effects on physical well-being. Studies show that optimists generally have better cardiovascular health and stronger immune systems. They are less likely to succumb to chronic diseases and have a higher life expectancy. Their positive outlook motivates them to maintain a healthier lifestyle, thus contributing to improved physical health.

Optimism: A Catalyst for Success

In the realm of success, optimism acts as a catalyst. It encourages risk-taking, fosters resilience, and promotes a growth mindset. Optimists view failures as learning opportunities, not as a reflection of their abilities. This outlook cultivates an environment of innovation and progress, leading to greater personal and professional success.

In conclusion, optimism is not just a positive attitude but a life-enhancing tool. It is a testament to the power of the human mind and its ability to shape our reality. By embracing optimism, we can improve our mental and physical health, foster resilience, and pave the way for success.

500 Words Essay on Optimism

Introduction.

Optimism, a term derived from the Latin word “optimum,” is a psychological attribute that reflects an individual’s positive perspective towards life. It is the tendency to perceive the glass as half-full rather than half-empty. This essay explores the concept of optimism, its implications, benefits, and the role it plays in shaping our lives.

The Concept of Optimism

The power of positive thinking.

Positive thinking, a cornerstone of optimism, is not about ignoring life’s less pleasant situations. Instead, it involves approaching these circumstances with a positive and productive mindset. Optimists believe they can navigate through difficulties and find solutions. This perspective can significantly impact our physical and mental health, relationships, and overall quality of life.

Implications of Optimism

Optimism has profound implications for various aspects of life. It is associated with better health outcomes, increased longevity, higher levels of happiness, and improved coping skills. Optimists tend to have stronger immune systems, lower levels of stress and depression, and higher overall well-being. Furthermore, optimism can enhance academic and professional performance by fostering persistence, engagement, and a proactive attitude.

Optimism and Resilience

Optimism: a skill to be cultivated.

While some people may naturally have a more optimistic outlook, optimism can also be nurtured and developed. Cognitive-behavioral techniques, mindfulness practices, and gratitude exercises can help cultivate optimism. The key is to challenge negative thought patterns and replace them with more positive, constructive ones.

In conclusion, optimism is a powerful psychological attribute that can significantly influence our life experiences. It is not merely a passive expectation of positive outcomes but an active engagement in life, fostering resilience, enhancing well-being, and promoting success. As we navigate through the complexities of life, cultivating an optimistic outlook can serve as a guiding light, illuminating the path to personal growth and fulfillment.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Mindfulness and Positive Thinking

Optimism is a trait that should become more common, judging by Winston Churchill’s famous quote that “a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Recent research indicates that optimists and pessimists approach problems differently, and their ability to cope successfully with adversity differs as a result.

Martin Seligman defines optimism as reacting to problems with a sense of confidence and high personal ability. Specifically, optimistic people believe that negative events are temporary, limited in scope (instead of pervading every aspect of a person’s life), and manageable. Of course, optimism, like other psychological states and characteristics, exists on a continuum. People can also change their levels of optimism depending on the situations they are in. For simplicity’s sake, the studies discussed herein will talk about people at the higher end of the spectrum as optimists and people on the lower end as pessimists. This section will review what is known about the benefits of optimism and evidence suggesting optimism is a learnable skill.

Optimistic Explanatory Style: Making Sense of Bad Events

Imagine two students who receive the same poor grade on an exam. The first student thinks, “I’m such a failure! I always do poorly in this subject. I can’t do anything right!” The second student thinks, “This test was difficult! Oh well, it’s just one test in one class. I tend to do well in other subjects.” These students are exhibiting two types of what psychologists call “explanatory styles”. Explanatory styles reflect three attributions that a person forms about a recent event. Did it happen because of me (internal) or something or someone else (external)? Will this always happen to me (stable) or can I change what caused it (unstable)? Is this something that affects all aspects of my life (pervasive) or was it a solitary occurrence (limited)? Pessimistic people tend to view problems as internal, unchangeable, and pervasive, whereas optimistic people are the opposite. Pessimism has been linked with depression, stress, and anxiety (Kamen & Seligman, 1987), whereas optimism has been shown to serve as a protective factor against depression, as well as a number of serious medical problems, including coronary heart disease (Tindle et al., 2009). Optimistic mothers even deliver healthier, heavier babies (Lobel, DeVincent, Kaminer, & Meyer, 2000)! Optimism seems to have a tremendous number of benefits; consider several detailed below.

Optimism and Physical Health

Few outcomes are more important than staying alive,  and optimism is linked to life longevity. Maruta, Colligan, Malinchoc, and Offord (2000) examined whether explanatory styles served as risk factors for early death. With a large longitudinal sample collected in the mid-1960s, the researchers categorized medical patients as optimistic, mixed, or pessimistic. Optimism was operationalized using parts of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. The researchers found that for every 10 point increase in a person’s score on their optimism scale, the risk of early death decreased by 19%. Considering that, for a middle-aged person of average health, the difference between sudden death risk factors for smokers and non-smokers is 5-10%, the protective effect of optimism found in this study is massive.

Optimism also plays a role in the recovery from illness and disease. Multiple studies have investigated the role of optimism in people undergoing treatment for cancer (e.g., Carver et al., 1993; Schou, Ekeberg, & Ruland, 2005). These studies have found that optimistic people experience less distress when faced with potentially life-threatening cancer diagnoses. For example, Schou and colleagues (2005) found that a superior “fighting spirit” found in optimists predicted substantially better quality of life one year after breast cancer surgery. Optimism also predicted less disruption of normal life, distress, and fatigue in one study of women who were undergoing painful treatment for breast cancer (Carver, Lehman, & Antoni, 2003). In this case, optimism appeared to protect against an urge to withdraw from social activities, which may be important for healing. People who tend to be more optimistic and more mindful had an increase in sleep quality (Howell et al. 2008). There is also evidence that optimism can protect against the development of chronic diseases. A sample of middle-aged women was tested for precursors to atherosclerosis at a baseline and three years later. The women who endorsed greater levels of pessimism at the baseline assessment were significantly more likely to experience thickening arteries, while optimistic women experienced no such increase in thickness (Matthews, Raikkonen, Sutton-Tyrell, & Kuller, 2004).

Optimism can have an effect on a person’s immune system, as well. In one study, elderly adults were immunized for influenza (Kohut, Cooper, Nickolaus, Russell, & Cunnick, 2002). Two weeks later, their immune response to the vaccination was measured. Greater optimism predicted greater antibody production and better immune outcomes. Five studies have also investigated optimism and disease progression in people infected with HIV. Ironson and colleagues (2005) found, in a large sample, that optimism and positive HIV immune response were linearly related: people highest in optimism had the best suppression of viral load and a greater number of helper T cells, both important parts of the progression of HIV. Furthermore, another study found that optimistic men who were HIV-positive had lower mortality over a longitudinal study (Blomkvist et al., 1994). Another study that examined the link between optimism and immune system functioning was conducted by Segerstrom and Sephton (2010). This study examined a sample of entering law students over five time points in their first year of law school. Dispositional optimism (the tendency to be generally optimistic about your life) and optimism about law school, in particular, were assessed, along with measures of positive and negative affect (to determine whether any relationships between optimism and immune system functioning could be better explained through positive or negative affect). This study found that optimism predicted superior cell-mediated immunity, an important part of the immune system’s response to infectious agents. Furthermore, an individual’s changes in optimism levels from time point to time point were associated with changes in immune functioning: as optimism increased from one time point to another, immune function increased, as well. Furthermore, negative affect did not predict changes in immune function. What this means is that optimism appears to have a unique value among the factors that compose a person’s immune system. Taylor and colleagues (1992) found that optimism predicted better psychological coping post-HIV-diagnosis, as well as more perceived control over personal health and well-being . Thus, it appears that an optimistic outlook appears not only to be strongly positively related to a healthy immune system but also to better outcomes for people with compromised immune systems.

Optimism has also been investigated in health-related behaviors. In examining the risk of developing alcohol dependence, one study found that optimism protected against drinking problems in people with a family history of alcoholism (Ohannessian, Hesselbrock, Tennen, & Affleck, 1993). As family history is one of the greatest risk factors for developing substance dependence, optimism’s protective effects against its influence may be very important for public health efforts. Beyond helping to prevent substance use problems from developing, optimism may predict better outcomes from efforts to quit using. In a study by Strack, Carver, and Blaney (1987), optimism predicted greater success in treatment for alcohol abuse, with optimistic people more likely to remain in treatment and abstinent than pessimists. Pregnant women who are higher in optimism have been shown to be less likely to abuse substances while pregnant (Park, Moore, Turner, & Adler, 1997). Optimism appears to be an important factor in risky health behaviors: both whether people choose to engage in them and whether they choose to quit.

The studies described above share a common theme: optimism can have profound effects on a person’s physical health. The mere act of expecting positive outcomes and being hopeful can boost a person’s immune system, protect against harmful behaviors, prevent chronic disease, and help people cope following troubling news. Optimism can even predict a longer life. Among psychological constructs, optimism may be one of the most important predictors of physical health.

Optimism and Psychological Health

Evidence suggests that optimism is important in coping with difficult life events. Optimism has been linked to better responses to various difficulties, from the more mundane (e.g., transition to college [Brissette, Scheier, & Carver, 2002]) to the more extreme (e.g., coping with missile attacks [Zeidner & Hammer, 1992]). Optimism appears to play a protective role, assisting people in coping with extraordinarily trying incidents. Furthermore, optimism has been found to correlate positively with life satisfaction and self-esteem (Lucas, Diener , & Suh, 1996). Segerstrom and Sephton (2010) also examined whether optimism predicted positive affect. Their hypothesis that changes in optimism would predict changes in positive affect was borne out, as increases in optimism were associated with increased positive affect, and vice versa. Interestingly, changes in optimism were not related to changes in negative affect. Thus, it appears that optimism is uniquely related to positive affect. This means that optimists are generally happier with their lives than pessimists.

Optimists are also able to recover from disappointments more quickly by attending to positive outcomes to a greater extent than negative ones. Litt and colleagues (1992) examined optimism and pessimism in couples undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) attempts. In this study, 41 women and their husbands were interviewed two weeks prior to the IVF attempt and two weeks after a subsequent pregnancy test. Among the women who received a negative pregnancy test, optimists were better able than pessimists to cope with failed fertilization attempts by endorsing thoughts like “this experience has made our relationship stronger”. Pessimists were more likely to develop depressive symptoms and to feel personally responsible for the failure of the IVF attempt. This study suggests that optimists are better able to cope with disappointment by attending to positive aspects of the setback.

Optimists are also more likely to engage in problem solving when faced with difficulties, which is itself associated with increased psychological well-being (e.g., Taylor et al., 1992). HIV-positive patients who were more optimistic were more likely to plan their recoveries, seek further information, and avoid self-blame and escapism (both of which are associated with worse psychological functioning). Optimists also tend to accept the reality of difficult situations while also framing them in the best possible light (Carver et al., 1993). While pessimists tend to cope through denial and abandoning impeded goals, optimists rely on acceptance and the use of humor. Optimism may even play a role in the well-being of caregivers for people with chronic illnesses. Caring for a loved one with a severe, terminal illness can have serious negative effects on psychological well-being. However, optimism appears to protect against the worst of these effects, as optimism has been associated with less depression and greater well-being in studies of people caring for others with cancer (Given et al., 1993), Alzheimer’s (Hooker et al., 1992), and mental disorders (Singh et al., 2004). The association between optimism and coping with other, less extreme difficulties has been investigated, as well. For example, in one study of college freshman, measures of optimism, hope, and well-being were administered immediately upon beginning college (Aspinwall & Taylor, 1992). At the end of the semester, measures of well-being were again administered. Optimism at the beginning of college predicted a smoother, psychologically healthier transition to college life, as well as larger groups of new friends .

With all of the research presented above, it is clear that optimism is a powerful tool in our repertoire to keep us healthy, happy, and alive. This news is great for people who are “natural” optimists, but what about others who don’t generally “look on the bright side”? Can “natural” pessimists learn to become more optimistic?

Can a Pessimist Become an Optimist?

Martin Seligman, father of positive psychology , began his career studying depression, stress, and anxiety. From his work in these areas, he discovered that the optimistic explanatory style described above acted as a protective factor against the development of depression when faced with difficult circumstances. For a psychologist, understanding what makes some people more immune to suffering is beneficial, but it’s also somewhat unsatisfying if those benefits cannot be extended to other people. Thus, Seligman set out to understand whether or not optimism could be learned. Various studies on changing explanatory styles were conducted, and the general theme of their findings was that optimism could, indeed, be learned (Gillham, Reivich, Jaycox, & Seligman, 1995). Following this line of research, a curriculum was developed for school children to attempt to inculcate in them an optimistic explanatory style. Children were selected as the population of interest as their personalities are more malleable than adults, as they are still forming and have not “solidified”. Thus, they represent a perfect population for testing the idea that psychological interventions can modify a person’s personality. The program, called the Penn Resiliency Program (PRP), operates under the idea that instilling optimism in young people might serve to protect them from developing depressive symptoms in the future as sort of a “psychological immunization”. It relies on teachers and school counselors to administer 12 sessions of intervention, in which students are taught, among other things, how to change the types of thoughts that are consistent with the pessimistic explanatory style. Multiple studies have used strict randomized controlled trial criteria to evaluate the efficacy of this program. One study (Gillham et al., 2007) examined the use of the PRP in nearly 700 middle school students across three schools. Children were assigned to the PRP, to a program (Penn Enhancement Program [PEP]) that focused on stressors common in adolescent life, including self-esteem, peer pressure, and family conflict, or to a control condition in which students received no intervention. Students were assessed on measures of depressive symptoms and well-being two weeks after the final session and then every six months for the subsequent three years. In two of the three schools, 20% fewer students in the PRP condition reported elevated depressive symptoms three years post-intervention when compared to the control group, and nearly 10% fewer when compared to the PEP. This evidence seems to support the idea that optimism can be developed and nurtured in young people, though similar programs have not been developed for adults. More research is necessary, but it appears that optimism can be trained or learned. Thus, there is a promising argument to be made that anyone can learn to derive the numerous benefits of optimism.

Optimism Conclusions: Where do we go from here?

Countless studies have been conducted on optimism, and the vast majority of them support the same conclusions: optimism is healthy! Optimists live longer, have better functioning immune systems, cope better with difficult circumstances, and even have healthier babies. Are there downsides? There are a few. For instance, there is some evidence that under certain circumstances, optimism can actually suppress immune functioning. For a certain subset of the law student sample profiled in Segerstrom and Sephton (2010), more difficult stressors coupled with higher levels of optimism actually predicted worse immune functioning (Segerstrom, 2006). The reasons for this are unclear, but one explanation might be that optimism was mostly linked to negative outcomes in law students who stayed close to home for law school. For these students, there might be greater competing pressures between social goals (spending time with friends and loved ones) and performing optimally in graduate school. With a finite amount of time and energy, coupled with the tendency of optimists to persevere in the face of difficulty, these students might simply be exhausting their body’s resources. Optimism has also been linked to health behaviors that can have negative consequences. For example, one study found that optimistic teenage girls were less likely than less optimistic peers to seek information about HIV testing. Furthermore, they were less likely to actually get tested (Goodman, Chesney, & Tipton, 1995). These examples indicate that optimism may have its downsides, but the good outcomes related to it far outweigh the negatives.

It’s apparent from the PRP studies that optimism can be nurtured in children, but what about adults? Studies that have investigated this question have relied on one-on-one cognitive behavioral therapy to improve levels of optimism, but no large-scale intervention has yet been developed. Further research is necessary to determine whether non-clinical interventions can be used to foster optimism. It stands to reason that changing automatic negative thoughts should be possible in PRP-style interventions for adults, but this is a question that will need to be answered with solid data.

Ultimately, there is a large, scientifically valid body of research that indicates that optimistic people are generally better off in life than pessimists. This is a growing area of research, and the future of positive thinking research is promising.

Learn about the Philosophy of Mindfulness here!

Gratitude: Parent of all virtues

The great Roman orator Cicero wrote, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” Indeed, all of us can think of times in our lives when we’ve expressed heartfelt thanks to others for gifts of time and effort. Being grateful feels good. Gratitude, the state or feeling of being thankful, is an almost universal concept among world cultures. In fact, nearly all of the world’s spiritual traditions emphasize the importance of giving thanks to benefactors, supernatural or otherwise (Emmons & Crumpler, 2000 † ). Robert Emmons, a leader in the field of gratitude research, defines gratitude as the feeling that occurs when a person attributes a benefit they have received to another (Emmons, 2004). Feeling grateful has a number of benefits. Feelings of gratitude are associated with less frequent negative emotions and more frequent positive emotions such as feeling energized , alert, and enthusiastic (McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002). Beyond emotions, there is evidence that gratitude is associated with pleasant physical sensations, as well. Algoe and Haidt (2009) found that people experienced pleasant muscle relaxation when recalling situations in which they’d felt grateful. It is apparent that the mere act of giving thanks can have remarkable impact on a person’s well-being.

Taking time to appreciate your mother for all the care she provided growing up; reconnecting with an old friend to express your gratitude for always being there for you; seeking out and thanking a favorite teacher who helped you grow – specific acts of gratitude can have a variety of positive consequences, but what about people who are more grateful by nature than others? Given the centrality of thanksgiving in religious traditions, grateful people tend to be more spiritual than their less-grateful counterparts. People who are generally grateful report being more agreeable and less narcissistic compared with less grateful people. People who are more grateful also report being happier (Watkins, Woodward, Stone, & Kolts, 2003).

Characteristics of grateful people

What separates more grateful people from less grateful people? Recent evidence shows that a lot of the differences may be in how grateful people approach situations in which they’ve received some form of aid. When presented with the same short stories in which participants are told they’ve received help from another people, more grateful people tend to see their benefactors as more selfless and having exerted more effort to help, as well as placing higher value on the help they received (Wood, Maltby, Stewart, Linley, & Joseph, 2008). To further support this hypothesis, these authors sought to replicate their findings in people’s daily lives. Students kept diaries of moments in their everyday environment when they were helped by another person and then asked to rate how selfless and sincere was the benefactor, how much effort did the benefactor expend, how grateful did they feel toward their benefactor, and how valuable was the help received Findings from these random moments in everyday life supported the hypothesis that more grateful people rate all of these factors higher than less grateful people. These findings suggest that grateful people interpret events in a unique way, and this interpretation style might account for the benefits extracted from gift giving experiences.

Extrapolating from the interpretations that differentiate more and less grateful people, Wood and colleagues (2008) used a longitudinal design to investigate how gratitude related to social support, stress, and depression. Longitudinal studies follow the same group of people over time, which allows researchers to examine temporal relationships between different variables. This has the benefit of strengthening hypotheses about causal relationships between variables. In this study, the researchers asked people to rate the overall gratitude, social support, depression, and stress in their life. Everyone was contacted again to complete the same questionnaires three months later. How grateful people initially felt predicted greater feelings of social support and less stress and depression three months later. Thus, it appears that grateful people find themselves feeling a sense of belonging and a relative absence of stress and depression. Psychologists have repeatedly shown that perceptions are more important than objective reality and grateful people possess benign interpretations of themselves, other people, and the world.

There are interpersonal benefits associated with gratitude, as well. Feelings of gratitude are associated with increased feelings of closeness and a desire to build or strengthen relationships with a benefactor (Algoe & Haidt, 2009). Acts of gratitude require us to admire good characteristics of other people. Doing so encourages us to become closer to them. It has the added benefit of improving mood: reflecting upon the good another had done for them elevated the moods of participants in Algoe and Haidt’s (2009) study, who were asked to recall a time in which another person had assisted them in an exemplary way. In addition, the act of contemplating times in which another person had helped these participants resulted in participants expressing a desire for moral growth and to help others, themselves. Thus, it appears that being grateful can actually encourage people to do something good for another person. Gratitude, therefore, might have important benefits to society as a whole.

It has become clear that there are a number of advantages associated with being grateful. Among other things, grateful people are happier, have stronger feelings of social support, and feel less stressed and depressed. As being grateful has so many positive attributes, it seems that intervening to increase people’s levels of gratitude may be a good way to increase their feelings of well-being. In the next section, we discuss the research that has attempted to do just that.

Becoming more grateful: Does it work?

While it’s clear that gratitude and well-being are connected, the research presented above is correlational in nature. What this means is that, while those studies tell us there is a connection between being grateful and being happy, it is impossible to say which one leads to the other. Based on that evidence, it could simply be that people who are already happier are more grateful. To better identify a causal relationship, carefully controlled experiments are required.

Fortunately, there has been an abundance of such research in the last decade. Emmons and McCullough (2003) conducted some of the first experimental studies of the effects of gratitude on well-being. In one study, college students were randomly placed into one of three conditions, (gratitude, hassles, or events), each of which lasted for nine weeks. Participants were given weekly packets in which they were to write down different things depending on their condition. In the gratitude condition, students were asked to write down several experiences for which they were grateful. In the hassles condition, students wrote down annoyances they experienced in the previous week. Finally, in the events condition, students wrote down a number of events that affected them in the past week. No instruction was given about what types of events to include, and responses ranged from “learned CPR” to “cleaned out my shoe closet”. The events condition acted as a neutral control condition to which the other two were compared. Students also completed a series of measures assessing physical symptoms and overall well-being. Students in the grateful condition reported significantly greater life satisfaction, greater optimism for the upcoming week, fewer physical symptoms, and, perhaps most surprisingly, exercised significantly more than students in either the events condition or the hassles condition. However, the gratitude intervention did not have a significant impact on positive or negative emotions. Thus, while being grateful caused students to assess their lives as more satisfying and made them more optimistic about their futures, it didn’t change the overall emotional tone of their daily lives.

A subsequent study replaced the weekly exercises from the previous study with daily diaries that were used for two weeks. This study kept the gratitude and hassles conditions, but replaced the events condition with instructions to write about ways in which the students were better off than other people. This study found a significant difference in levels of positive affect between people in the gratitude condition and people in the hassles condition, which is a bit like comparing healthiness between people who have eaten fruits and vegetables for a week with people who have eaten only cheeseburgers and fries. Based on these two studies, the causal link between gratitude and well-being is clearly present. However, it is thus far difficult to make the claim that being grateful makes a person happier.

While the research by Emmons and McCullough (2003) suggests that being more grateful doesn’t necessarily increase positive emotions more than not doing anything at all, that study was conducted with a sample of undergraduates. Perhaps children, whose brains and personalities are more malleable than those of college students, would derive greater benefit from grateful acts. To investigate this, Froh and colleagues (2008) examined the effects of counting blessings in a sample of sixth and seventh graders. Classes were assigned to the same conditions as in Emmons and McCullough (2003). Findings were similar to that study, as well, with the gratitude intervention resulting in happier students when compared to the students who wrote about their hassles, but not when compared to the neutral control students. However, these researchers examined other outcomes, as well. Froh and colleagues found that students who were told to be grateful were more excited about and satisfied with school than the students in the other conditions. Given the importance of school satisfaction in academic performance, this is a promising area of research for researchers and educators alike.

The studies covered thus far have shown a number of benefits associated with increasing gratitude in people of different ages. What they have not yet shown, however, is that making people more grateful makes them happier. To further investigate this area, Froh and colleagues (2009) hypothesized that gratitude interventions weren’t increasing levels of positive affect because many of the people who composed the samples in previous research were already happy. Perhaps people who are happier reach a “ceiling” point, beyond which it is very difficult to become even happier. This theory is consistent with research by social psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, who found that people adapt quickly to positive changes in their lives and thus derive diminishing happiness returns from them. Perhaps, for people who are less happy to begin with, feelings of gratitude are more novel, and thus less happy people experience a greater benefit from gratitude exercises. Froh and colleagues (2009) examined the effects of expressed gratitude in students ranging from third to twelfth grade. Their findings indicated that the students with the lowest levels of positive affect received substantial benefits from expressing gratitude when compared to a neutral control condition. In other words, the students who had the most to gain in terms of positive emotion gained the most positive emotion, a surprising and exciting result. Furthermore, it’s possible that people with greater positive emotions to begin with are more open and receptive to changing their life orientation and enhancing their existing relationships. This includes being in a state of mind to be better attuned to positive events and more open to savoring them, integrating these experiences into their visions of how their overall lives appear. Taken in this context, it appears that, while nearly everyone derives benefits from giving thanks, different people experience different rewards.

Altogether, the studies profiled here have shown that gratitude can be increased through targeted interventions and that those increases have important implications for people’s well-being. But the question remains: can encouraging people to be more grateful really make them happier? Sheldon and Lyubomirsky (2006) set out to answer this question with a four-week experimental study. In this study, students were asked to either count their blessings everyday or write about details of their lives. At two-week and four-week intervals, the participants completed “check-ups”, in which they rated their levels of well-being, positive emotions, and negative emotions. The most exciting result from this study is that people in the gratitude condition increased in positive affect when compared to the control condition. This is a novel result, as prior research had shown only that gratitude interventions were effective in increasing positive affect compared to exercises that asked people to write about bad things that had happened to them. However, a caveat applies: in these analyses, the gratitude condition was paired with another experimental condition, in which students were asked to envision their “best possible selves” in their ideal future lives. Both of these interventions resulted in higher levels of positive affect, but there was no difference between them. Furthermore, all conditions experienced a decrease in negative affect across the four weeks of the study, with no significant differences between them. While these results are exciting, it would be advantageous to attempt to replicate them in other samples to more fully establish an effect.

There is a possibility that the way in which the gratitude intervention is delivered matters. Lyubomirsky and colleagues (2005) conducted a study in which they asked participants in the experimental condition to contemplate “things for which they are grateful” over the course of six weeks. Participants in the control condition completed only assessments of their happiness levels. In addition to the experimental and control condition, participants were asked either to complete the tasks once a week or three times a week. Results indicated that participants who completed the tasks only once a week showed increases in levels of well-being compared to the control group, but participants who completed the tasks three times a week showed no difference in happiness. A possible explanation for this could be that people who “counted their blessings” multiple times per week became bored with the intervention, and it thus lost its ability to increase happiness.

Each of the above studies has used multiple gratitude exercises to attempt to effect change. However, one study has examined the effects of a single gratitude-enhancing event: the letter of gratitude. Seligman and colleagues (2005) asked visitors to their website to write a letter to a person that they felt they had never properly thanked for a past kindness . These people were then asked to deliver this letter in person to their benefactor. These people experienced a substantial increase in happiness compared to people who wrote about their early memories. Furthermore, the increase was significant through one month post-intervention. These findings are perhaps the most excited yet profiled. However, that excitement must be tempered by the fact that the sample used in this study was visitors to a website about happiness. These people might be especially motivated to complete the exercise, or there may be important differences in people who seek out such tasks. While these results are promising, it will be important to attempt to replicate these findings in more typical samples. Fortunately, one can take away a positive spin from this study, as well: this experiment found substantial increases in happiness from a single intense gratitude-enhancing activity. While the increase in happiness was relatively short-lived, it suggests that there might be ways to use gratitude to improve happiness long term.

The take-home message from these studies is this: gratitude interventions have a number of positive effects, ranging from improving people’s feelings of thankfulness to increasing levels of school satisfaction. Each of these outcomes is valuable in its own right. However, the answer to the question, “Do gratitude interventions make people happier?” remains an (optimistic) “Maybe, but we don’t know for sure.”

Conclusions: Where do we go from here?

Of all the areas studied in the relatively young field of positive psychology , gratitude has perhaps the widest body of research. Grateful people have been shown to have greater levels of positive affect, a greater sense of belonging, and lower levels of depression and stress. Furthermore, efforts to make people more grateful have their own benefits. Gratitude is clearly an important part of a “good life”, and it therefore demands further careful research. Each of the studies profiled here has strong scientific merit, and their results should give us a sense of cautious optimism as we move forward in the study of thanksgiving.

Here are comprehensive reviews of each key study:

Burpee, L. C., & Langer, E. J. (2005). Mindfulness and Marital Satisfaction. Journal of Adult Development, 12(1), 43–51. doi:10.1007/s10804-005-1281-6.  Introduction: This study examines if mindfulness is correlated with overall marital satisfaction and compare this relationship with previously studied variables, such as perceived spouse similarities and various demographic factors.

Prevalent theories and multiple earlier studies have postulated, that both personality and behavioral congruency in couple are strong indicators for marital satisfaction, as these spouses share similar personality characteristics and tend to be less argumentative. Burpee and Langer’s 2005 study takes a novel approach to the existing theoretical explanations for marital bliss, suggesting that mindfulness may explain perceived congruence fully, since mindful individuals are characterized by the ability to consider alternative perspectives, draw novel distinctions across situations, reevaluate their stance and question automatic behavior, defying the limits of categories and premature cognitive commitments” (p.45). The authors further hypothesize that the fundamental quality of open-mindedness that is related to the construct of mindfulness could be strongly related to developing a positive and satisfying relationship and possibly increasing general well-being.

Method: The study consisted of 95 married participants (55 women and 40 men) between the ages of 25 and 74, who provided extensive demographic information, life satisfaction and marital satisfaction questionnaires and a mindfulness scale. The measure of of mindfulness was based a scale developed by Langer (2001) and assessed four dimensions: novelty seeking, novelty producing, flexibility and engagement.

Results: The mean normalized marital satisfaction score was 80.16 (SD=6.62) and the mean normalized mindfulness score was 69.76 (SD=8.28) and a further analyses identified a positive correlation between mindfulness and marital satisfaction. Interestingly, perceived spouse similarities were not associated with marital satisfaction.

A predictive equation analysis indicated that nearly 8% of marital satisfaction was due to mindfulness. The authors then examine if the four dimensions of mindfulness identified with the scale hold different correlations with marital satisfaction. The novelty producing (M = 48.15, SD = 8.50; r = .26, r2 = .07, p < .05) and novelty seeking variables (M = 57.51, SD = 7.83; r = .22, r2 = .09, p < .01) were both statistically significant and positively correlated with satisfaction in marriage, whereas flexibility scores did not indicate significant relationship. Demographic variables combined accounted for 20% of marital satisfaction (R=.45, R2=.198, p<.05). When separate demographic variables were analyzed, regression analyses revealed that mindfulness is particularly important among certain demographic subgroups: participants older than 40 years of age, those married only once and for more than 9 years, participants with children, those with pets, those with none ore one sibling, and those with no older siblings.

Conclusion: There is a strong relationship between mindfulness and marital satisfaction, which shows that spouses who are open to new experiences, mentally engaged  with overall high mindfulness scores have more satisfying relationships. Mindfulness was also more likely to contribute to less arguments for the couple. There was no significant relationship between marital satisfaction and perceived personality similarities. Burpee and Langer discuss possible explanations for the importance of mindfulness to smooth marital interactions, hypothesizing that mindful individuals are less threatened by change, less likely to react impulsively to conflict, but rather reevaluate situations.

Noted Limitations and Future Directions: The researchers mention how married couples with children experience less marital satisfaction, but are not equipped to examine possible explanations. For a future study they could look more closely at the relation to children and marital happiness. Further, the article provides no mention of alternative explanations for the findings or attempts to account for confounding variables. It is possible that mindful individuals exhibit certain personality traits or behavioral tendencies that contribute to general relationship satisfaction. Future studies should attempt to examine personality traits more closely. In addition, it is important to question if mindfulness improves relationships across the board or affects marital satisfaction specifically.

Caprara, G. V., Steca, P., Gerbino, M., Paciello, M., & Vecchio, G. M. (2006). Looking for adolescents’ well-being: Self-efficacy beliefs as determinants of positive thinking and happiness. Epidemiologia e psichiatria sociale, 15(01), 30–43.  Introduction: Researchers have been interested in subjective well-being (SWB) for a long time. Over the last decade there has been an increased interest in the relationship between positive thinking, happiness and SWB. The authors of this study recognize the importance of these constructs and their relationship but they also suggest that self-esteem and optimism should be included as constructs of interest. Both these variables have been found to be correlated with psychosocial well-being and various other positive outcomes. Another important variable that they find crucial is self-efficacy, which is pivital in adolescents as well as in young adults and contributes to learning, work, sports, health, social adjustment, and well-being.

The study is valuable it utilizes both a longitudinal design for a large number of adolescent subjects and the impact of self efficacy, happiness and SWB in a critical developmental period. Such a longitudinal design can provide insights about optimal adolescent development and youth’s happiness in relation to other social and psychological constructs. Further, the study examines the concurrent impact of a number of factors on adolescent happiness and how it is experiences in daily events over a period of time.

Method: Participants in the study were 664 Italian adolescents with the mean age of 16.73 years, with widely diverse socioeconomic status. The participants were asked to complete questionnaires  at two different times. The self efficacy measures (affective self-efficacy beliefs, interpersonal-social self-efficacy beliefs and psychometric characteristics of self-efficacy) were only administered at Time 1. The remaining measures were subjective well-being, self-esteem, optimism, life satisfaction and happiness.

Results: Boys had a stronger sense of efficacy in managing negative affect (F=23.10, p<.001). They also had higher levels of self-esteem at TI (F=11.96, p<.01). Girls had a stronger sense of efficacy in regulating positive affect (F=8.91, p<.01). Positive thinking at both times represented a hidden factor pertaining to self-esteem, optimism, and life satisfaction. Positive thinking and self-efficacy were stable and both times, but related.

Conclusion: “Perceived self-efficacy for affect regulation and for the management of interpersonal relationships influence adolescents’ subjective well-being.” Both affective and interpersonal self-efficacy play a role in subjective well-being and increase positive thinking of both themselves and their lives. The data also indicated that managing appropriate affect with their relationship with family and friends contributes to subjective well-being.

Noted Limitations and Future Directions: One limitation discussed by the researchers is the use of self-reports, which can be unreliable or invalid in its subjectivity. The fact that data was collected from Italian adolescents alone questions the external validity of the study, as findings may not be generalizable to adolescents in other parts of the world. Future development of standardized inventories with tested validity and reliability can help compare findings across nations. 

Carmody, J., & Baer, R. A. (2007). Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31(1), 23–33. doi:10.1007/s10865-007-9130-7.  Introduction: There is a vast amount of research supporting the physical and mental health benefits of mindfulness training, but he number of identified facets of mindfulness varies between studies. An exploratory factor analysis of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) by Baer et al. (2006) has specifically identified the five factors with the highest loading: observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging of inner experiences and non-reactivity to inner-experiences. These five facets have shown good internal consistency and correlations to variables, known to be related to mindfulness, such as emotional intelligence, openness to experience, experiential avoidance and thought suppression. The study examines the effects of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) and in-home mindfulness training on psychological wellbeing and stress reduction.

The study demonstrates a rigorous scientific analyses based on self-report measures in a pre- and post-treatment conditions. While the method is not a controlled experiment with a control group and random assignment, it provides a valuable insight about practical clinical applications of mindfulness and its tendency to increase subjective well-being. The authors provide a detailed account of methodology and statistical analyses, as well as subject exclusion criteria and demographics, managing to capture implications of specific mindfulness training methods for a well-defined population sample. The use of standardized measures allows future studies to replicate the study.

Method: Participants in the study were  174 adults (63% female) from the University of Massachusetts Medical School MBSR program who had suffered from a range of chronic pain, anxiety and stress. The average age of the participants was 47 years (SD=10.26). The participants attended 8 instructional sessions, filling a questionnaire  after each session. The  measures used in the study were  demographics questionnaire, mindfulness inventory (FFMQ), home mindfulness practice (assessed with homework logs), psychological symptoms (Brief Symptom Inventory, BSI), medical symptoms (Medical Symptom Checklist, MSCL), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale, PSS), and psychological well-being (Scales of Psychological Well-Being) (p.26).  One goal of the researchers was to measure mindfulness pre- and post-MBRS, as well as effects of home mindfulness practice. Effects on well being pre- and post-mindfulness training were also examined.

Results: Practicing the body scan was associated with higher levels of mindfulness. Yoga practice had an association with changes to four to five facets: well-being, perceived stress level, and sever psychological symptoms. Sitting and meditating was associated with increase of two of mindfulness facets: awareness and non-reactivity. These findings show that greater practice is associated with more mindfulness and well-being, as well as decrease in stress and its symptoms. “Meditation practice time was a significant predictor of decrease in psychological symptoms (R = .30, F = 11.39, p < .01), and of increase in mindfulness (R = .42, F = 21.95, p < .001). Increase in mindfulness also was a significant predictor of decrease in symptoms (R = .49, F = 46.50; p < .001)” (p.30). Meditation practice time was a significant predictor of decrease in perceived stress (R = .26, F = 8.30, p < .01) and of increase in mindfulness (R = .42, F = 46.50, p < .001). Meditation practice time was a significant predictor of well-being (R = .42, F = 24.14, p < .001).

Conclusion: The results show that mindfulness increased over the course of MBSR and  indicate that home practice meditation exercises (body scan, yoga, sitting) were significantly correlated to most facets of mindfulness, and several measures of symptoms and well-being. The increase in mindfulness was associated with decrease in psychological symptoms and decreased stress, pointing to the overall beneficial effect of mindfulness on well-being.

Noted Limitations and Future Directions: A noted limitation of the study is the fact that the participants were well educated and and financial resourceful which limits the generalizability of the findings. There is also a possibility that the participants did not complete the practice forms on days that they were not assigned homework. The lack of true experimental design with control group and random assignment poses a limitation for the internal validity of the results. Future study designs should attempts to compare mindfulness training with alternative approaches, whether therapy, standard medical treatments, self-help groups and no interventions to establish if mindfulness is a truly unique and successful in promoting well-being, or comparable to other approaches. 

Fredrickson, B. L., & Joiner, T. (2002). Positive emotions trigger upward spirals toward emotional well-being. Psychological science, 13(2), 172–175.  Introduction: Positive emotions make people feel better. The researchers believe that this is not the only reason to care about positive emotions. They argue that positive emotions make you feel good in the present and will also make you feel good in the future. The research is based on Frederickson’s  broaden-and-build theory (1998, 2001) suggesting that negative emotions narrow thought action repertoires while positive emotions broaden the parameters of creative thinking, attention and cognition, thus increasing emotional well-being. This study examines of positive emotions do trigger an upward spiral towards well-being.

The study is important in the way that it tests and expands an existing theoretical model that discusses the relationship between emotional content and subsequent emotional well-being, suggesting the longitudinal effects of emotional states.

Methods: Participants were 138 undergraduate students (mean age of 20, SD=1.3; 71% Caucasian; 54% female), who completed measures of affect and coping in two sessions, five weeks apart. The measures used were the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS; Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988) and the Coping Responses Inventory (CRI; Moos, 1988).

Results: Consistent with their first hypothesized, Fredrickson and Joiner observed that positive affect (PA), but not negative affect (NA) enhanced broad-minded coping between the two testing sessions. PA at T1 was significantly related to changes in broad-minded coping between sessions (pr=.19), t(134)=2.25, p=.05, but T1 NA was not. The second research question examined if the relationship between PA and broad-minded coping works in both directions, so that this type of coping can be associate with increase PA, but not reduced NA. Their predictions were supported by two regressions equations, revealing that students who coped better initially also indicated higher increased PA by the second session (pr=.32),t(135)=3.83,p<.05, but there was no significant association with changes in NA. The other two research hypotheses examined if PA and good broad-minded coping will increase over time, pointing to their idea of upward temporal spiral of aspects of emotional well-being. Series of regression analyses, controlling for mediators confirmed these hypotheses so that PA at T1 was a significant predictor for PA at T2 (pr=.45), t(135) = 5.82, p<.05  and broad-minded coping at T1 predicted coping at T2 (pr=.54), t(135)=7.37, p<.05.

Conclusion: The data shows that positive emotions do more than just make people feel good in the present, but may also increase positive emotions in the future. A similar conclusion is drawn for broad-minded coping skills, which are considered healthy, flexible and adaptive.  Further, the two appeared to be related and mutually enhancing of one another over time.

Limitations and Future Directions: The authors do not discuss limitations. However, it is important to remember the sample consisted solely of undergraduate students in young adulthood, who are not only considered a high-functioning group, but developmentally tend to increase their repertoire of coping skills and are likely to be motivated and striving to improve. The homogeneity of the sample poses a limitation for the external validity of the findings. It would be beneficial for future studies to examine if the theoretical principles and variable associations can be replicated for other demographic groups. In addition, the temporal effect examined was only observed in the relatively brief period of five weeks. Future studies could examine if the same associations would persist over longer periods of time. The authors also discuss clinical implications of the results that can aid  clinician working with depressed patients, possibly increasing depressed individuals’  coping and therapeutic skills as well as positive emotionality.

Hollis-Walker, L., & Colosimo, K. (2011). Mindfulness, self-compassion, and happiness in non-meditators: A theoretical and empirical examination. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(2), 222–227. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.09.033 Introduction: Literature has shown that mindfulness is a natural quality that promotes adaptive human functioning. The introduction was broken into three different parts. The first being the nature of mindfulness. Mindfulness is a Buddhist concept that is a practice of being self aware of here and now. A lack of mindfulness is as if you are putting your brain in auto pilot. Mindfulness also involves a non-judging and non-identifying attitude. The second part is self-compassion. The only way to achieve self-compassion is by having compassion for others and being able to share in the pain and alleviation of others. According to Buddhist psychology, higher levels of self-compassion and mindfulness relates to higher levels of happiness. The third part of the introduction was eudaimonism, which focuses on pleasure more than humanistic realistic experiences.

Hollis’ study from 2011 was identified as key study because it examined the relation between mindfulness, psychological well-being, self-compassion, and five factor model. It was determined that high on mindfulness scored high with self –compassion and psychological well-being

Methods: The study consisted of 123 undergraduate students with the mean age of 21 and the majority being females. To be considered the participants could not have been regularly practicing meditation. The participants were given an online self reported questionnaire to complete that examined these measures: Mindfulness, Psychological Well-Being (PWB), Self-Compassion, and the Five-Factor Model of Personality.

Results: Mindfulness was positively correlated to PWB (r=.75), self-compassion (r=.69), agreeableness (r=.36), openness (r=.35), negatively with neuroticism (r=-.66), extraversion (r=.42), and conscientiousness (r=.46). Mindfulness (the IV) significantly predicted self-compassion (the proposed mediator) (b = .69, R2 = .47, p < .001) and PWB (the DV) (b = .75, R2 = .55, p < .001). Mindfulness regression weight on PWB was reduced but remained significant (b = .46, R2 = .64, p < .001)

Conclusion: Participants who scored high on mindfulness also scored high with self-compassion, psychological well-being, agreeableness, extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness, and low on neuroticism. Self compassion was also a partial mediator of happiness and well-being.

Noted Limitations and Future Directions: The researchers suggest that self-compassion be employed by therapists as means to increase the clients happiness. They also want to focus more study on self-compassion to see what specific aspects are doing the work. 

Howell, A. J., Digdon, N. L., Buro, K., & Sheptycki, A. R. (2008). Relations among mindfulness, well-being, and sleep. Personality and Individual Differences, 45(8), 773–777. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2008.08.005  Introduction: Lack of sleep normally involves anxiety, mood disorders, substance-related disorders, psychotic disorders, and cognitive disorders. Mental health is a combination of: emotional well-being, psychological well-being, and social well-being. A final marker of mental health is mindfulness, which is the idea of being aware of oneself. Mindfulness is known for promoting high levels of well-being. There is not much research though on mindfulness, well-being, and sleep. Studies have shown how sleep and happiness/well-being are positively correlated but this article wants to focus on how mindfulness plays a role. Another aspect of the study that the researchers want to study was the individual’s circadian rhythm and see how that correlates to well-being.

Howell’s study from 2008 was identified as a key study because it examined the relationship between sleep and mindfulness. It was found that mindfulness had a direct association with well-being and sleep quality Method: The study consisted of 305 undergraduate students between the ages of 18-30 years. The students completed and the online questionnaires examining these four measures: well-being, mindfulness, sleep quality, and circadian rhythm preference.

Results: The participants age was a correlate of mindfulness r(280) = .21, p < .001. A higher year of study was associated with psychological well-being, r(267) = .12, p < .05, social well-being, r(270) = .17, p < .01, overall well-being, r(242) = .14, p < .05, and mindfulness, r(279) = .14, p < .05. Grade point average was a positive correlate of emotional well-being, r(240) = .19, p < .01, psychological well-being, r(228) = .16, p < .05, overall well-being, r(210) = .16, p < .05, and sleep quality, r(214) = .16, p < .05. The three well-being scales had a positive correlation with sleep-quality.

Conclusions: This is the first study to compare sleepy quality and circadian preference. Mindfulness had a positive association to sleep quality and morningness. The researchers found that mindfulness had a direct association with well-being and sleep quality. Sleep quality also predicted a higher score of well-being.

Noted Limitations and Future Directions: They study was limited to the population size and gender of the participants. The researchers did not account for the students ethnicities and the majority of them were Canadian. The researchers suggest for future research to emphasis more on mindfulness and well-being in regards to sleep.

Huppert, F. A., & Johnson, D. M. (2010). A controlled trial of mindfulness training in schools: The importance of practice for an impact on well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(4), 264–274. Introduction: There has been a lot of recent debate on whether schools focus enough on the students well-being. Mindfulness has been often studied recently and it has proven to promote positivity and an increased well-being. There has not been much emphasis on school children but more with adults and the studies done with school children focus on adolescents with emotional issues. The researchers hypothesize that mindfulness training may increase positive feelings. Mindfulness has also shown a significant association to improving mental health, chronic pain, immune functioning, and other health related factors.

Huppert’s study from 2010 was identified as a key study because it examined the benefits of mindfulness in adolescents and its effect on their happiness.

Method: The participants consisted of 173 14 to 15 year old boys from a religious studies class. The participants were separated into a mindfulness group and a control group. The mindfulness group attended four 40 minute classes, once a week. These classes were an introduction to the prinicpal and practices of mindfulness meditation. Each week there was always a new concept of mindfulness being introduced. The control group continued to go to their Religious studies class for the duration of the study. Both groups completed an online questionnaire before and after the 4 weeks. The questionnaires examined mindfulness (CAMS-R), resilience (ERS), well-being (WEMWBS), and personality (the Big Five).

Results: “For the mindfulness scale (CAMS-R), there was a significant overall effect of personality (F (5,149) = 10.38, p <0.001) with conscientiousness ( = .244, p < .001) and emotional stability ( = .403, p < .001) contributing positively and significantly to the mindfulness score. For the Ego Resiliency Scale there was a significant overall effect of personality (F (5,149) = 16.57, p < .001), with extraversion ( = .232, p < .001), agreeableness (marginal, = .126, p < .10), conscientiousness ( = .195, p < .001), emotional stability ( = .169, p < .05) and openness to experience ( = .383, p < .001) all contributing positively and significantly to resilience. For the WEMWBS there was a significant overall effect of personality (F (5,149) = 21.72, p < .001), with extraversion ( = .355, p < .001), conscientiousness ( = .141, p < .05), emotional stability ( = .340, p < .001) and openness to experience ( = .182, p < .001) contributing positively and significantly to well-being.”Practice was found to contribute significantly to the prediction of change in mindfulness ( = .245, p < .05) and to the change in well-being ( = .23, p < .05). The change in well-being was also associated with several of the baseline personality measures; agreeableness ( = .32, p < .01), emotional stability ( = -0.24, p < .05), and openness to experience (marginal, = 0.19, p < .10).

Conclusion: The researchers found that within the mindfulness group the more that the participants practiced the higher the psychological well-being and happiness was. They also found that the mindfulness group had higher percentage of individual practice outside the group as well as an improvement in psychological well-being

Noted Limitations and Future Directions: The researchers gave advice on what can be done to improve future studies. They believe that there should be a consistency with the teachers mediating the control and the mindfulness group. The researchers also mention how the control group should also be a placebo control. There should be a more detailed reliable measures of personality. The next step the researchers plan to take is to have more class sessions and to involve girls. 

Majumdar, M., Grossman, P., Dietz-Waschkowski, B., Kersig, S., & Walach, H. (2002). Does mindfulness meditation contribute to health? Outcome evaluation of a German sample. The Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 8(6), 719–730. Introduction: Alternative medicine has become an appealing choice for individuals with medical conditions. There is an urgency to find one that is cost effective, efficient, and appropriate. Mindfulness falls under all three of those categories. Mindfulness meditation do not have any roots in the clinical application as well as religious beliefs. It is meant to become non-judgemental on your perceptions, thoughts, and feelings to attain an appreciation of the positive and negative experiences. Recent studies have proven that MBSR has reduced psychological symptomatology, anxiety, pain, psoriasis, depression, etc. while increasing perception of control and empathy. This study is the first systematic evaluation of MBSR in Germany.

Majumar’s study from 2002 was identified as a key study because it examined the relation between chronic physical and psychological pain to mindfulness. It was discovered that participants were less symptomatic when practicing mindful meditation.

Method: The participants consisted of 21 individuals between the ages of 22-62 years. The participants all had chronic physical, psychological, and psychosomatic illnesses. The participants were involved in an eight week session and they were given self-reported questionnaires at the beginning and end of the eight weeks. They had to attend sessions weekly and for 2.5 hours and also had to complete 7 hours on the 6th week. The sessions involved mindfulness practice of the body and emotions. There was also a three month follow up interview. The questionnaires measured: psychological distress, emotional well-being, physical complaints, sense of coherence, and life satisfaction.

Results: The researcher found that general physical well-being greatly increased from pre-treatment to post-treatment (p < .001 and p < 0.047). The baseline for physical complaints was at a 7 and after the follow up went down to a 6. 91% of the clients reported to continue practicing mindfulness after the sessions were over. 90% of the participants said that mindfulness complemented medical and psychotheraputic treatments.

Conclusion: All of the health variables in this study that were clinically assessed had raise from pre-test to post-test. The data proved that suffering was alleviated with symptom reduction or with advanced coping skills. The clients also reported high levels of satisfaction with the study. Mindfulness meditation is a great tool to help aid various chronic disease and psychosomatic disorders.

Noted Limitations and Future Directions: Since mindfulness meditation is new to Europe this was a pilot study which tend to consist of a small amount of participants. The researchers also suggest for future studies to focus on other aspects like, phenomenological explorations of mindfulness and states of consciousness. 

Singh, N. N., Lancioni, G. E., Winton, A. S. ., Wahler, R. G., Singh, J., & Sage, M. (2004). Mindful caregiving increases happiness among individuals with profound multiple disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 25(2), 207–218. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2003.05.00  Introduction: The quality of life (QOL) in individuals with mental retardation has always been poor. The basics to QOL are: subjective well-being, functioning in daily life, and external resources. Subjective well-being is based on satisfaction with life which can be determined by happiness. A individual with mental retardation may find happiness in leisurely activities. Studies have shown that these activities increase the amount of times an individual smiles. The question is can caregivers increase the happiness of these individuals by changing their own behavior during one on one interactions.

Singh’s study from 2004 was identified as a key study because it showed the importance of caretakers, of mentally ill patients, practicing mindfulness. It was discovered that the more mindful the caregiver, the happier the patient.

Methods: This study consisted of two types of participants the residents and the caregivers. The resident participants were three adult males Bruce (45), Steve (54), and Dave (55). All three men were diagnosed with mental retardation. The caregiver participants were six African American women who worked the day shift. The caregivers were split into top three (Jane, Penny, Cindy) and bottom three (Linda, Kris, Rachel). Each of the residents were randomly assigned two of the caregivers: Jane and Penny with Bruce, Cyndie and Linda with Steve, and Kris and Rachel with David. The residents were given three leisure phases and they each lasted about 15 minutes. The researchers gathered baseline data during this time. Three of the caregivers were trained in mindfulness and were asked to practice it. Data was collected at four, seven and twelve weeks.

Results: At the baseline Bruce’s happiness was pretty high, with Jane it was 10.3 and Penny 11.3. Jane was trained and mindfulness and during the practice phase Bruce’s happiness increased to 25.2 while Penny’s increased to 12.5. The second group Cyndie and Linda were paired with Steve. At baseline Cyndie had 3.6 while Linda had 11.4. Cyndie was trained in mindfulness and during the third phase Steve’s happiness raised to 15.1 with Cyndie and 11.6 for Linda. The final pair was Rachel and Kris who were paired with Dave. At baseline Rachel had 2.8 while Kris had 2.4. Kris was the trained caregiver and after the third phase Dave’s happiness raised to 3.1 for Rachel and 13.0 for Kris.

Conclusion: The data shows that levels of happiness of the three mentally ill men had a very significant increase during their leisure sessions. It goes to show that providing more mindfulness training to caregivers could increase the happiness of the patients that they are caring for.

Noted Limitations and Future Directions: The researchers had a very small sample size to work with making it difficult to be representative of the rest of the population. For future directions they suggest involving therapists and others involved in providing human services. The researchers also did not examine the change in the caregiver which they believe could be relevant for future studies. 

Witek-Janusek, L., Albuquerque, K., Chroniak, K. R., Chroniak, C., Durazo-Arvizu, R., & Mathews, H. L. (2008). Effect of mindfulness based stress reduction on immune function, quality of life and coping in women newly diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 22(6), 969–981. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2008.01.012  Introduction: Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths to women in the United States. Many negative symptoms can come from it, not only physical but psychological, anxiety, depression, fear, etc. The psychological effects alone can greatly reduce their quality of life (QOL). Even after receiving treatment there are still severe psychological disturbances. There have been many attempts to promote wellness and to reduce distress for cancer patients. The most promising treatment may be MBSR. Mindfulness training has already been proven to reduce psychological distress and that it might have the possibility of reversing the effects of psychological and immune disturbances.

Witek-Janusek’s study from 2008 was identified as a key study due to the evidence showing that revealed the psychological importance for mindfulness based stress reduction in cancer patients for their quality of life.

Method: The study consisted of 77 women between the ages of 35-75 years of age diagnosed with breast cancer who did not receive chemotherapy. The women were recruited from cancer centers and eligibility was determined by their physicians. The women were then split up into the MBSR intervention (N=44) and control group (N=31). The participants in the MBSR group met for three hours a week for eight weeks, and then a full day after the fifth week. The participants learned breath awareness, mindful yoga, and sitting and walking meditation. Immune, QOL, coping, and cortisol were examined at four different times. The first point (T1) was 10 days after surgery, (T2) was midway through the MBSR training, (T3) was after completion of MBSR, and (T4) took place a month after it ended.

Results: A) Immunological Assessments: The women in the MBSR group had an increase in the NKCA by T4 (98% CI = 43.6 to 62.2 LU). The MBSR group produced less IL-4 (p =0.001), as well as an increase in IL-6 (p=0.008). B) Plasma Cortisol: Women with cancer in the MBSR group had lower levels of cortisol by (p=0.002) while the cancer free participants in both groups had an elevation of (p<0.05). C) QOL and Coping Assessments: The participants in the MBSR group expressed more satisfaction in psychological – spiritual QOL compared to the non-MBSR group. The most noteable time periods of change were at T3 (p=0.06; 98% CI=3.43 to 4.57) and T4 (p=0.001; 98% CI=2.99 to 4.01). They also had an increase in satisfaction with family at T3(p=0.06; 98% CI = 2.75 – 3.21) and T4 (p=0.046; 98% CI = 1.72 – 3.80). Out of the eight coping styles assessed only two were effective, optimistic and supportant coping.

Conclusion: Women who participated in this study and were involved in MBSR found more satisfaction in QOL than those who weren’t. There was also an increase in global QOL during the MBSR. Specific improvements in QOL were psychological-spiritual and family domains. There also were improvements in immune functioning, coping, and effectiveness.

Noted Limitations and Future Directions: The study used restricted diagnostic and treatment inclusion criteria. The participants were are all the same gender and race. There has not been another study that effects on MBSR on recently diagnosed cancer patients undergoing treatment. The researchers suggest for future studies to focus more on the QOL of life and MBSR in cancer patients. 

Mindfulness and Positive Thinking in Relationships

Burpee, L. C., & Langer, E. J. (2005). Mindfulness and marital satisfaction.  Journal of Adult Development, 12 (1), 43–51. doi:10.1007/s10804-005-1281-6

Mindfulness and Positive Thinking in Workplaces

Irving, J. A., Dobkin, P. L., & Park, J. (2009). Cultivating mindfulness in health care professionals: A review of empirical studies of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR).  Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 15 (2), 61–66. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2009.01.002

Mindfulness and Positive Thinking in Schools

Caprara, G. V., Steca, P., Gerbino, M., Paciello, M., & Vecchio, G. M. (2006). Looking for adolescents’ well-being: Self-efficacy beliefs as determinants of positive thinking and happiness.  Epidemiologia e Psichiatria Sociale, 15 (01), 30–43.

Denny, K. G., & Steiner, H. (2008). External and internal factors influencing happiness in elite collegiate athletes.  Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 40 (1), 55–72. doi:10.1007/s10578-008-0111-z

Health Implications of Mindfulness and Positive Thinking

Burton, C. M., & King, L. A. (2004). The health benefits of writing about intensely positive experiences.  Journal of Research in Personality, 38 (2), 150-163.

Grossman, P., Niemann, L., Schmidt, S., and Walach, H. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits.  Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 57 (1), 35–43. doi:10.1016/S0022-3999(03)00573-7

Howell, A. J., Digdon, N. L., Buro, K., & Sheptycki, A. R. (2008). Relations among mindfulness, well-being, and sleep.  Personality and Individual Differences, 45 (8), 773–777. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2008.08.005

Sin, N. L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2009). Enhancing well-being and alleviating depressive symptoms with positive psychology interventions: a practice-friendly meta-analysis.  Journal of Clinical Psychology, 65 (5), 467–487. doi:10.1002/jclp.20593

General Studies on Mindfulness and Positive Thinking

Brown, K. W., and Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84 (4), 822–848. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822

Chittaro L., and Vianello, A. (2014). Computer-supported mindfulness: Evaluation of a mobile thought distancing application on naive meditators.  International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 72 (3), 337–348.

Fredrickson, B. L., & Joiner, T. (2002). Positive emotions trigger upward spirals toward emotional well-being.  Psychological Science, 13 (2), 172–175.

Hills, P., & Argyle, M. (1998). Positive moods derived from leisure and their relationship to happiness and personality.  Personality and Individual Differences, 25 (3), 523–535.

Hollis-Walker, L., & Colosimo, K. (2011). Mindfulness, self-compassion, and happiness in non-meditators: A theoretical and empirical examination.  Personality and Individual Differences, 50 (2), 222–227. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.09.033

Schutte, N. S., & Malouff, J. M. (2011). Emotional intelligence mediates the relationship between mindfulness and subjective well-being.  Personality and Individual Differences, 50 (7), 1116–1119. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2011.01.037

Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J., & Geraghty, A. W. A. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration.  Clinical Psychology Review, 30 (7), 890-905. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.005

CLINICAL APPLICATIONS OF MINDFULNESS

Relationships

Barnes, S., Brown, K. W., Krusemark, E., Campbell, W. K., & Rogge, R. D. (2007). The role of mindfulness in romantic relationship satisfaction and responses to relationship stress.  Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 33 (4), 482–500.

Shapiro, S. L., Astin, J. A., Bishop, S. R., & Cordova, M. (2005). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Health Care Professionals: Results From a Randomized Trial.  International Journal of Stress Management, 12 (2), 164–176. doi:10.1037/1072-5245.12.2.164

Huppert, F. A., & Johnson, D. M. (2010). A controlled trial of mindfulness training in schools: The importance of practice for an impact on well-being.  The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5 (4), 264–274. dpi:10.1080/17439761003794148

Carmody, J., & Baer, R. A. (2007). Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program.  Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31 (1), 23–33. doi:10.1007/s10865-007-9130-7

Deyo, M., Wilson, K. A., Ong, J., & Koopman, C. (2009). Mindfulness and rumination: Does mindfulness training lead to reductions in the ruminative thinking associated with depression?  EXPLORE: The Journal of Science and Healing, 5 (5), 265–271. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2009.06.005

Grossman, P., Tiefenthaler-Gilmer, U., Raysz, A., & Kesper, U. (2007). Mindfulness training as an intervention for fibromyalgia: Evidence of postintervention and 3-Year Follow-Up Benefits in Well-Being.  Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 76 (4), 226–233. doi:10.1159/000101501

Majumdar, M., Grossman, P., Dietz-Waschkowski, B., Kersig, S., & Walach, H. (2002). Does mindfulness meditation contribute to health? Outcome evaluation of a German sample.  The Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 8 (6), 719–735. doi:10.1089/10755530260511720

Singh, N. N., Lancioni, G. E., Winton, A. S. ., Wahler, R. G., Singh, J., & Sage, M. (2004). Mindful caregiving increases happiness among individuals with profound multiple disabilities.  Research in Developmental Disabilities, 25 (2), 207–218. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2003.05.001

Singh, N. N., Singh, A. N., Lancioni, G. E., Singh, J., Winton, A. S. W., & Adkins, A. D. (2009). Mindfulness training for parents and their children with ADHD increases the children’s compliance.  Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19 (2), 157–166. doi:10.1007/s10826-009-9272-z

Weinstein, N., Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). A multi-method examination of the effects of mindfulness on stress attribution, coping, and emotional well-being.  Journal of Research in Personality, 43 (3), 374–385. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2008.12.008

Witek-Janusek, L., Albuquerque, K., Chroniak, K. R., Chroniak, C., Durazo-Arvizu, R., & Mathews, H. L. (2008). Effect of mindfulness based stress reduction on immune function, quality of life and coping in women newly diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.  Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 22 (6), 969–981. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2008.01.012

General Applications

Malinowski, P. (2008). Mindfulness as psychological dimension: concepts and applications.  The Irish Journal of Psychology, 29 (1-2), 155–166. doi:10.1080/03033910.2008.10446281

Sin, N. L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2009). Enhancing well-being and alleviating depressive symptoms with positive psychology interventions: A practice-friendly meta-analysis.  Journal of Clinical Psychology, 65 (5), 467–487. doi:10.1002/jclp.20593

Key studies concerning mindfulness and optimism/positive thinking were selected according to methodological rigor, type of investigation, and approach taken in understanding the relationship between mindfulness, positivity, and psychological well-being. Fredrickson’s study from 2002 was identified as a key study because it examine both positive and negative affect and determined that positive emotions make people feel good in the moment but also increase the chance of feeling good in the future. Hollis’ study from 2011 was identified as key study because it examined the relation between mindfulness, psychological well-being, self-compassion, and five factor model. It was determined that high on mindfulness scored high with self –compassion and psychological well-being. Huppert’s study from 2010 was identified as a key study because it examined the benefits of mindfulness in adolescents. Witek-Janusek’s study from 2008 was identified as a key study due to the evidence showing that revealed the psychological importance for mindfulness based stress reduction in cancer patients for their quality of life. Burpee’s study from 2005 was identified as a key study because it examined the relationship between marital satisfaction and mindfulness and proved that more mindful couples tend to have more satisfying relationships.

Singh’s study from 2004 was identified as a key study because it showed the importance of caretakers, of mentally ill patients, practicing mindfulness. It was discovered that the more mindful the caregiver the happier the patient. Carmody’s study from 2007 was identified as a key study since it observed how different forms of mindfulness will affect different aspects of well-being and positivity. Howell’s study from 2008 was identified as a key study because it examined the relationship between sleep and mindfulness. It was found that mindfulness had a direct association with well-being and sleep quality. Majumar’s study from 2002 was identified as a key study because it examined the relation between chronic physical and psychological pain to mindfulness. It was discovered that participants were less symptomatic when practicing mindful meditation. Caprara’s study from 2006 was identified as a key study because it observed the relationship between self-efficacy, optimism, and happiness. It was discovered that they were all positively correlated to one another.

Our Related Articles

• The Philosophy and Science of Mindfulness
• What is Happiness
• Unique Strengths & Happiness

Start Your Journey to Happiness. Register Now!

Pursuit-of-Happiness.org  ©2024

Positive Psychology

The Benefits Of Optimism

As you explore the benefits of optimism, you may wonder if optimists are setting themselves up for disappointment by having such high expectations. Do they simply sit back and wait for good things to happen to them? Or do they take more risks and end up getting hurt because they believe that everything will turn out okay in the end?

Contrary to these common misconceptions, the research on healthy optimism shows that optimistic individuals tend to approach life in a more balanced way. They don’t ignore or deny negative experiences, but they do tend to focus more on positive ones. This helps them build resilience and cope more effectively with adversity.

So what can you expect as you begin to cultivate a more optimistic outlook on life? In this article, we’ll explore the research-backed optimism benefits and share practical tips for building a more positive mindset. Whether you’re looking to enhance your well-being, achieve your goals, or simply enjoy life more fully, the benefits of being optimistic are well worth exploring in this essay.

1. More happiness

As expected, optimists report being happier in life. But what is the mechanism here?

As the University College London’s Tali Sharot explains, optimistic people are happier because they imagine positive events more vividly and expect them to occur sooner. This all boosts the luscious feeling of anticipation, which is greater the more pleasurable the anticipated event, the more vividly we can imagine it, the more probable we think it is to happen, and the sooner it will be happening. Of course, it makes sense that having a sense of hope and positive attitude about the future would make us more content in the present.

2. More positive emotions and better relationships

Optimists have a more positive mood and morale, more vitality, a sense of mastery, and high self-regard. They feel in control of their destiny. All that positivity must radiate outward, because optimists tend to be better liked by others, too.

3. Fewer negative emotions

Optimists experience less depression and anxiety, and optimistic explanatory style can alleviate depression and help prevent relapses. According to psychologist Martin Seligman, depression is often accompanied by a pessimistic explanatory style: we tend to blame ourselves for misfortune, believe it’s permanent, and believe it affects all areas of life. Depressed people also exhibit learned helplessness, the feeling that they’re not in control of their lives (which leads to passivity). In contrast, optimism brings a sense of agency and confidence, and with it less despair and hopelessness.

4. Better health

Optimists are physically healthier. In the famous Grant Study, a longitudinal study of male Harvard students from the classes of 1939-1944, optimism began predicting health starting at age 45. In another famous study, this time of Catholic nuns, optimistic nuns outlived negative ones by about 10 years.

Different mechanisms are at work here, some physical and others behavior-oriented. Optimistic explanatory style boosts our immune system, protecting us from infectious diseases and decreasing the likelihood of breast cancer relapse. Pessimistic people   have twice as many infectious illnesses and twice as many doctor visits. But even these physical changes may have their roots in the increased social support that optimists enjoy.

On the behavior side, studies have shown that optimists live longer and are less likely to die from accidental or violent events because they take active steps to protect themselves. As an example of how optimism can lead to positive outcomes, personal growth essay example often discuss how the optimist is proactive and tries to ensure things turn out according to their positive expectations. Critiques of the benefits of optimism in psychology call it complacent or unrealistic, but the optimism we’re talking about here stems from being proactive and trying to ensure things turn out according to our positive expectations. The optimist is the one who is brave enough to ride in a car but does wear a seatbelt

In contrast, pessimism works like the “nocebo effect,” the opposite of the placebo effect. People who are pessimistic and believe they’re prone to disease or bound to get worse actually are and do. In the talk below, Dr. Allan Hamilton describes optimism’s effects on heart disease, HIV, and cancer and how the medical industry – himself included – is conspiring to snuff out hope:

5. Better coping

Optimists cope better with stress and take more direct action in the face of adversity. When something bad happens, their habitually positive habits of thinking kick in and they look for ways the situation isn’t as bad as they thought and things will get better. “Optimism and hope relate to how we think and feel about the future. If we really do believe that things will work out for the best, all the setbacks become easier to deal with,” writes Fox.

Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1991, and his life took a different turn. He took a long break from his acting career, started the  Michael J. Fox Foundation , and – most of all – didn’t let the diagnosis shake his positive outlook on the world. His second book,  Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist ,   came out in 2009. Here, he discusses his optimism with TV show host Ellen Degeneres:

Musician Besa Luzha is another example of optimistic coping. Enduring the Kosovo War and living in a refugee camp, she managed to see the positive in the challenges and remain hopeful, she explains:

6.  Better performance

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope,” writes Helen Keller in  Optimism: An Essay .

Because of their attitude, optimists are more likely to exert effort toward their goals and persist in the face of obstacles. When optimists expect something great and don’t achieve it, their brain’s frontal lobe goes to work figuring out why and learning for the future. If we don’t expect greatness, this doesn’t happen. “Hope . . . enables people to embrace their goals and stay committed to moving toward them,” Sharot writes.

That’s the key combination: commitment plus tenacity. One study, for example, found that optimists   are less likely to drop out of college because they’re more motivated and less distressed. Research by Suzanne Segerstrom has shown that part of the key to optimism’s benefits is how persistent it makes us. Her view and some of her studies are discussed in this article:

Read “The Optimism Revolution”

Martin Seligman’s research has shown that people with an optimistic explanatory style are more productive than their pessimistic peers, persisting through obstacles and making up for any deficits of intelligence or skill. Sports teams with an optimistic explanatory style tend to improve year-to-year, and optimistic athletes perform better, particularly in crunch time. Politicians with an optimistic explanatory style tend to win elections – in 1998, explanatory style correctly predicted all the US primaries and 25 out of 29 Senate seats. Was it Barack Obama’s message of “hope” – closely related to optimism – that won him the presidency?

Seligman also found that the most optimistic 10% of insurance salesmen sell 88% more than the most pessimistic 10% and are much less likely to quit. Optimism comes in handy in the face of failure and defeat, urging athletes and businessmen to keep going. “Optimistic explanatory style is the key to persistence,” he writes. 

Case in point: humorist Guy Browning. In this funny tale, he explains how “outrageous optimism” – and the persistence it gave him and his community – helped him create and screen a film in one of London’s most prestigious locations:

A good way to end this week is with a TEDx talk by Bert Jacobs, the cofounder of  Life Is Good . In this funny and touching video, he talks about the origins of their positive brand and how optimism helped them build a $100 million business:

Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

How Optimism Helps You Achieve Goals With Less Stress

When you hear the word optimism, what comes to mind? Does it resonate as a tried-and-true life practice? Or perhaps it sounds too Pollyanna-ish for your taste?

Optimism is essentially hopefulness about the future, a general belief that things will work out in your favor. Whether you are a devoted practitioner or devout skeptic, you’ve likely asked yourself at least once, does optimism produce actual life benefits or is it just feel-good fluff?

A new study provides evidence that cultivating optimism might be worthwhile. According to the paper, which was published last month in the journal Emotion , optimism appears to be particularly useful when tackling challenges or approaching situations that could elicit high levels of stress.

Researchers Heather Lench and Zari Carpenter explored the benefits of optimism using two separate studies. In the first study, over a thousand undergraduates completed a survey two weeks before taking their first psychology exam, which assessed their anticipated grade and their emotions about the exam. One day before the exam, participants were surveyed again about their expected grade and their study habits leading up to the exam. Two days after taking the exam, participants reported on the actual grade they received, as well as their emotional response.

Indeed, they found that there is a likely connection between optimism and effort. Greater optimism two weeks prior to the exam predicted more study hours, greater overall satisfaction with the quality of their studying, and a better grade on the exam. If students lowered their expectations the day before the exam, they’d study less and get a worse grade. This finding highlights that it’s not just optimism that drives effort and results, but unflappable optimism that holds steady over a period of time.

In the second study, researchers used the context of the highly anticipated Match Day, a day when fourth-year medical students find out which hospitals they have been paired with for their residency. Where medical students receive their residency training can impact the trajectory of their medical career,  which makes it a very important and often stressful culminating event after four years of rigorous study. 

The 182 participants first reported their ranked list of residency programs. Two weeks before Match Day, researchers surveyed participants on several aspects of the matching process, such as their happiness and stress levels, their perceived likelihood of matching with their choices, and their anticipated level of happiness if they got into the program they ranked first.

The day after Match Day, once participants found out which medical residency, if any, they’d been matched to, they received another survey assessing their happiness and stress levels.

Over 50% of participants matched with their top-ranked program and 2% of participants did not match at all. The researchers found that high optimism of matching with their top choice resulted in higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress during the process leading up to the match decisions, as well as a greater likelihood that they matched with their top choice.

The study also refuted a common misbelief about optimism—that if I’m too optimistic and don’t get what I want, I will be even more devastated. Medical students who were optimistic, but did not match, did not demonstrate greater levels of distress. In other words, the optimism seemed to fuel resilience in the face of failure.

Why? Optimism appears to fuel our efforts in achieving personal goals, and also improves the overall quality of our experiences while doing so, by increasing happiness and reducing stress. Less stress also reduces the likelihood of mental distress, a common side effect of striving. “For future events that are specific, controllable, and important,” conclude the researchers, “it appears optimism has benefits with very little cost.”

About the Author

Shanna B. Tiayon

Shanna B. Tiayon, Ph.D. , also known as “The Wellbeing Dr.,” is a writer, speaker, and trainer working in the area of well-being. Currently, Shanna is the owner of WellbeingWorks , LLC, a boutique well-being firm bringing together the best interdisciplinary knowledge in the areas of social psychology, human resources, research, and training design.

You May Also Enjoy

Can Positive Thinking Really Make Dreams Come True?

How to Prime Your Mind for Optimism

How Optimism May Keep You Alive Longer

Grounds for Optimism

Presentations made painless

• Get Premium

119 Optimism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Optimism is a powerful mindset that can greatly impact your life in a positive way. It's the belief that things will work out for the best, even in difficult times. If you're struggling to find inspiration for an essay on optimism, here are 119 topic ideas and examples to help you get started.

• The power of positive thinking in overcoming challenges
• How to cultivate optimism in your daily life
• The benefits of having an optimistic outlook
• The impact of optimism on mental health
• Finding hope in the midst of adversity
• The role of optimism in achieving success
• Overcoming self-doubt through optimism
• How optimism can improve relationships
• The connection between optimism and resilience
• The science behind why optimism is good for you
• The importance of staying positive during tough times
• How optimism can change your perspective on life
• Using optimism as a tool for personal growth
• The role of optimism in creating a fulfilling life
• Finding silver linings in difficult situations
• The link between optimism and happiness
• How to maintain optimism in the face of uncertainty
• The power of optimism in achieving your goals
• Overcoming setbacks with a positive mindset
• The impact of optimism on physical health
• Finding joy in the little things through optimism
• Cultivating gratitude as a form of optimism
• The role of optimism in building resilience in children
• The connection between optimism and creativity
• Using optimism to overcome fear and anxiety
• The benefits of practicing optimism daily
• How optimism can help you bounce back from failure
• The role of optimism in shaping your future
• The impact of negative thinking on your mindset
• Finding hope and inspiration through optimism
• The connection between optimism and motivation
• Overcoming pessimism with a positive attitude
• The role of optimism in building confidence
• The link between optimism and personal empowerment
• Using optimism to navigate life's challenges
• The impact of optimism on decision-making
• The benefits of seeing the glass half full
• How optimism can improve your overall well-being
• Overcoming adversity through the power of optimism
• The role of optimism in creating a sense of purpose
• Finding resilience in times of uncertainty through optimism
• The connection between optimism and self-care
• The power of optimism in creating a supportive community
• How optimism can help you overcome limiting beliefs
• The impact of optimism on stress management
• Using optimism to cultivate a growth mindset
• The benefits of having a positive attitude in life
• Overcoming challenges with a hopeful outlook
• The role of optimism in building emotional intelligence
• Finding peace and contentment through optimism
• The connection between optimism and success in relationships
• Using optimism to navigate change and uncertainty
• The impact of optimism on your overall mindset
• Cultivating self-love and acceptance through optimism
• The benefits of looking on the bright side of things
• Overcoming self-limiting beliefs through optimism
• The role of optimism in creating a sense of purpose and meaning
• The connection between optimism and personal growth
• Using optimism to overcome fear and doubt
• The impact of optimism on your mental and emotional well-being
• Finding inspiration and motivation through optimism
• The benefits of having a positive outlook on life
• Overcoming adversity with a hopeful mindset
• The role of optimism in achieving your dreams and goals
• The connection between optimism and resilience in the face of challenges
• Using optimism to create a sense of abundance and gratitude
• The impact of optimism on your overall happiness and fulfillment
• Cultivating a sense of hope and possibility through optimism
• The benefits of maintaining a positive attitude in difficult times
• Overcoming self-doubt and insecurity with a hopeful outlook
• The role of optimism in building confidence and self-esteem
• The connection between optimism and personal empowerment and agency
• Using optimism to overcome fear and anxiety in uncertain times
• The impact of optimism on your physical health and well-being
• Finding joy and fulfillment in life through a positive mindset
• The benefits of practicing optimism daily as a form of self-care
• Overcoming challenges and setbacks with a hopeful attitude
• The role of optimism in creating a sense of purpose and meaning in life
• The connection between optimism and personal growth and development
• Using optimism to cultivate a sense of gratitude and abundance
• The impact of optimism on your overall mindset and outlook on life
• Cultivating resilience and perseverance through a positive attitude
• The benefits of having a hopeful outlook in challenging times
• Overcoming self-limiting beliefs and negative thought patterns with optimism
• The role of optimism in building emotional intelligence and self-awareness
• The connection between optimism and success in relationships and communication
• Using optimism to navigate change and uncertainty with grace and resilience
• The impact of optimism on your mental and emotional well-being and overall health
• Finding inspiration and motivation to overcome obstacles and achieve your goals
• The benefits of maintaining a positive attitude and mindset in all areas of your life
• Overcoming adversity and challenges with a hopeful and determined spirit
• The role of optimism in creating a sense of purpose and direction in life
• The connection between optimism and personal growth and transformation
• Using optimism to overcome fear and doubt in pursuit of your dreams and aspirations
• The impact of optimism on your overall happiness, fulfillment, and well-being
• Cultivating a sense of hope, possibility, and abundance through optimism
• The benefits of practicing optimism as a form of self-care and personal development
• Overcoming self-doubt, insecurity, and negative self-talk with a positive mindset
• The role of optimism in building confidence, self-esteem, and self-empowerment
• The connection between optimism and resilience, perseverance, and adaptability
• Using optimism to overcome fear, anxiety, and uncertainty with courage and strength
• The impact of optimism on your physical health, mental health, and emotional well-being
• Finding joy, fulfillment, and contentment in life through a hopeful and grateful heart
• The benefits of maintaining a positive attitude and outlook on life in all circumstances
• Overcoming challenges, setbacks, and obstacles with a determined and optimistic spirit
• The role of optimism in creating a sense of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment in life
• The connection between optimism and personal growth, development, and transformation
• Using optimism to cultivate gratitude, abundance, and resilience in the face of adversity
• The impact of optimism on your mindset, perspective, and overall quality of life
• Cultivating self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and strength through a positive attitude
• The benefits of having a hopeful and optimistic outlook on relationships, communication, and connection
• Overcoming self-limiting beliefs, negative thought patterns, and self-sabotage with a mindset of possibility and opportunity
• The role of optimism in building confidence, self-esteem, and self-empowerment in all areas of your life
• The connection between optimism and resilience, perseverance, adaptability, and strength in navigating life's challenges
• Using optimism to overcome fear, doubt, anxiety, and uncertainty with courage, grace, and determination
• The impact of optimism on your physical health, mental health, emotional well-being, and overall sense of fulfillment and happiness
• Finding joy, contentment, peace, and abundance in life through a grateful heart, a hopeful spirit, and a positive attitude
• The benefits of practicing optimism as a form of self-care, personal development, and growth in all aspects of your life
• Overcoming challenges, setbacks, obstacles, and adversity with a resilient, determined, and optimistic mindset and outlook on life

In conclusion, optimism is a powerful mindset that can help you overcome challenges, find joy in life, and achieve your goals. By cultivating a positive attitude and outlook on life, you can create a sense of hope, possibility, and abundance that will carry you through even the toughest times. So, whether you're writing an essay on optimism or simply looking to improve your own mindset, these topic ideas and examples can help inspire you to embrace the power of positive thinking.

Want to research companies faster?

Instantly access industry insights

Let PitchGrade do this for me

Leverage powerful AI research capabilities

We will create your text and designs for you. Sit back and relax while we do the work.

Explore More Content

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service

© 2024 Pitchgrade

Essay on Positive Thinking

Positive thinking refers to a belief or mental attitude which makes us think that good things will happen eventually and our efforts will pay off sooner or later. It is the opposite of negative thinking which makes our mind full of stress and fear. Thus, an essay on positive thinking will show us how it reinforces thoughts like optimism and hope and works wonders.

Benefits of Positive Thinking

Let it be clear that positive thinking does not mean you do not notice the bad things in life. It means you try to find a solution in a productive way instead of whining about it. There are many benefits of positive thinking.

The first one is better health. Negative thinking gives rise to anxiety, stress, frustration and more. However, positive thinking helps you avoid all this and focus on staying healthy and doing better in life.

Further, it is essential for us to fight depression which positive thinking helps with. Similarly, it will also help us to relieve stress. Positive thinking overwhelms stress and it will allow you to get rid of stress.

As a result, positive thinking helps you live longer. It is because you will be free from diseases that form due to stress, anxiety and more. Moreover, it is also the key to success. Meaning to say, success becomes easier when you don’t bash yourself up.

Similarly, it also gives us more confidence. It boosts our self-esteem and helps in becoming more confident and self-assured. Therefore, we must certainly adopt positive thinking to make the most of our lives.

How to Build a Positive Thinking

There are many ways through which we can build positive thinking. To begin with, we must inculcate the habit of reading motivational and inspiring stories of people who are successful.

All this will help in motivating and inspiring you and showing you the right path. Moreover, it is important to never let negative thoughts thrive in your mind and work towards putting end to this habit.

You can do so by replacing your negative thoughts with constructive and positive reviews. Start to pay attention to your ideas and don’t pay heed to negative thoughts. Further, it is helpful to use affirmations.

These positive statements will truly sink into your subconscious mind and guide you to take better action. It will also help in visualising your dreams and getting the right means to achieve them fast.

Finally, always stay guard and gatekeep your mind to make important changes in life. In other words, do not be afraid to take actions. Keep yourself busy and do different things to avoid becoming cynical and remaining positive.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of the Essay on Positive Thinking

To conclude, we must change our attitude and believe that we will succeed one day. Moreover, we also need to implement positive thinking techniques which will help us learn from our failures and stay focused. As positive thinking plays an essential role in our lives, we must make sure to adopt in our lives.

FAQ of Essay on Positive Thinking

Question 1: What is positive thinking?

Answer 1: Positive thinking is basically an optimistic attitude. In other words, it is the practice of focusing on the good in any given situation. This kind of thinking can have a big impact on your physical and mental health .

Question 2: Why is positive thinking important?

Answer 2: Positive thinking is important as it helps us with stress management and can even improve our health. Moreover, some studies show that personality traits like optimism can affect many areas of our health and well-being. Thus, positive thinking comes with optimism

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

• Travelling Essay
• Picnic Essay
• Our Country Essay
• My Parents Essay
• Essay on Favourite Personality
• Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
• Essay on Knowledge is Power
• Essay on Gurpurab
• Essay on My Favourite Season
• Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

The Power of Positivity: Embracing Optimism in Everyday Life

This essay about optimism presents it as a powerful, life-affirming choice rather than a mere disposition. It’s framed as a secret weapon that fuels hope and determination in the face of life’s challenges, rather than an unrealistic glossing over of life’s harsher realities. Optimism is depicted as a personal cheerleader, encouraging resilience and perseverance. The essay underscores the scientifically backed benefits of optimism, such as longer life spans, less stress, and better overall health. It also offers practical advice for nurturing optimism, like practicing gratitude and surrounding oneself with positive influences. Far from naive, choosing optimism is portrayed as a courageous act of facing reality with the belief in positive outcomes. It concludes by celebrating optimism as a choice that not only enhances personal well-being but also lights the way for others, making life’s journey an adventure worth embracing. At PapersOwl, you’ll also come across free essay samples that pertain to Optimism.

How it works

Let’s talk about optimism, that unbeatable superpower that keeps us going even when the chips are down. It’s like having a secret weapon in your back pocket, ready to whip out when life throws its curveballs. Optimism isn’t about wearing rose-colored glasses or pretending everything is sunshine and rainbows. It’s about holding onto hope, about believing that no matter how tough things get, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not an oncoming train.

Think of optimism as your personal cheerleader, shouting, “You got this!” when you’re up against it. It’s that voice that whispers, “Try again,” when you’ve hit a wall. And let’s be real, we’ve all been there, facing those moments that test our spirit. But it’s precisely in those moments that optimism shines brightest, guiding us to see challenges not as dead ends, but as detours on the road to something great.

The cool part? Science backs up the perks of staying positive. Studies have shown that optimists are onto something good—they tend to live longer, stress less, and even catch fewer colds. But more than just keeping you healthy, optimism can be the key to resilience. It’s about bouncing back from setbacks faster and stronger, ready to tackle whatever comes next.

Now, turning on the optimism switch isn’t always easy, especially when you’re feeling down. But there are tricks to make it easier, like counting your blessings or hanging out with folks who lift you up instead of dragging you down. It’s about finding those little things that spark joy and focusing on them, even when everything else feels like a mess.

Some might say, “Isn’t that just being naive?” But here’s the thing—optimism isn’t about ignoring reality. It’s about facing it head-on with the belief that you have the power to make things better. It’s a choice to focus on what you can do, not on what you can’t. And in making that choice, you’re not just helping yourself; you’re lighting the way for others, too, showing them that hope is always an option.

In wrapping up, embracing optimism is like choosing to see life as an epic adventure, full of twists and turns but always worth the ride. It’s about believing in the best, not just in the world around you, but in yourself. So, here’s to optimism—to that indomitable spirit that keeps us moving forward, no matter what.

Cite this page

The Power of Positivity: Embracing Optimism in Everyday Life. (2024, Mar 01). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/the-power-of-positivity-embracing-optimism-in-everyday-life/

"The Power of Positivity: Embracing Optimism in Everyday Life." PapersOwl.com , 1 Mar 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/the-power-of-positivity-embracing-optimism-in-everyday-life/

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Power of Positivity: Embracing Optimism in Everyday Life . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-power-of-positivity-embracing-optimism-in-everyday-life/ [Accessed: 19 Sep. 2024]

"The Power of Positivity: Embracing Optimism in Everyday Life." PapersOwl.com, Mar 01, 2024. Accessed September 19, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/the-power-of-positivity-embracing-optimism-in-everyday-life/

"The Power of Positivity: Embracing Optimism in Everyday Life," PapersOwl.com , 01-Mar-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-power-of-positivity-embracing-optimism-in-everyday-life/. [Accessed: 19-Sep-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Power of Positivity: Embracing Optimism in Everyday Life . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-power-of-positivity-embracing-optimism-in-everyday-life/ [Accessed: 19-Sep-2024]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

The PMC website is updating on October 15, 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health

Optimism and Its Impact on Mental and Physical Well-Being

Ciro conversano.

1 Istituto di Scienze del Comportamento Università degli Studi di Siena, Policlinico Le Scotte viale Bracci – 53100 Siena, Italy

Alessandro Rotondo

2 Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, via Roma 67 – 56126 Pisa, Italy

Elena Lensi

Olivia della vista, francesca arpone, mario antonio reda.

Many studies have been carried out about the effectiveness of optimism as a psychological phenomenon, leading to various theoretical formulations of the same concept, conceptualized as “disposition”, “attributional style”, “cognitive bias”, or “shared illusion”. This overview is an attempt to explore the “optimism” concept and its relations with mental health, physical health, coping, quality of life and adaptation of purpose, health lifestyle and risk perception.

Positive and negative expectations regarding the future are important for understanding the vulnerability to mental disorders, in particular mood and anxiety disorders, as well as to physical illness. A significant positive relation emerges between optimism and coping strategies focused on social support and emphasis on positive aspects of stressful situations. Through employment of specific coping strategies, optimism exerts an indirect influence also on the quality of life. There is evidence that optimistic people present a higher quality of life compared to those with low levels of optimism or even pessimists. Optimism may significantly influence mental and physical well-being by the promotion of a healthy lifestyle as well as by adaptive behaviours and cognitive responses, associated with greater flexibility, problem-solving capacity and a more efficient elaboration of negative information.

INTRODUCTION

As it is commonly understood, the term ‘optimism’ embraces two closely correlated concepts: the first is the inclination to hope, while the second more generally refers to the tendency to believe that we live in “the best of all possible worlds”, as coined by the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in his famous theodicy, ridiculed in Voltaire’s Candide .

Over the last few years, a significant body of research has been carried out about the effectiveness of optimism as a psychological phenomenon, leading to various theoretical formulations of the same concept, understood as “disposition”, “attributional style”, “cognitive bias”, or “shared illusion”.

Scheier and Carver [ 1 ] theorized the “disposition” towards optimism in their studies, called “dispositional optimism”, considering it a trait of an equilibrated personality, in time and in various situations, that influences the way in which individuals come to terms with present, past and future events in life. Optimistic individuals are positive about events in daily life. In the research carried out regarding this perspective, positive correlations have been found between optimism and physical/mental well-being. Optimistic subjects tend to have more frequently protective attitudes, are more resilient to stress and are inclined to use more appropriate coping strategies.

In open contrast, studies carried out by Peterson and Seligman [ 2 ], that were prevalently directed towards the understanding of the psychological bases of pessimism, lead to conception of its opposite, optimism, as an “attributional style”, characterized by the tendency to believe that negative events are inconstant (the negative event will not repeat itself), external (I am not responsible for the event) and specific (the event is “specific”, self-limiting and will not influence any other activities of mine and my life). Optimists believe that positive events are more stable and frequent than negative ones. They think that they can avoid problems in daily life and prevent them from happening, and therefore they cope with stressful situations more successfully than pessimists [ 3 , 4 ].

Referring to the viewpoint of Social Cognition , a third perspective sustains that optimism is the consequence of a cognitive underestimation of risk, in other words, a “bias” for the Self. This bias reflects the optimist’s conviction that positive events are more likely to occur to him/herself while negative events prevalently affect others. Weinstein [ 5 , 6 ] defined this phenomenon “unrealistic optimism”. The optimistic bias is not a personality trait like dispositional optimism [ 1 ] but rather a systematic cognitive distortion of the consideration of one’s own probability of encountering negative events. The optimistic bias has been defined as the result of the joint efforts of two mechanisms. The first of these is related to cognitive factors such as lack of information and poor critical insight of one’s own cognitive skills. The second mechanism has a motivational nature, closely tied to defending one’s self-esteem and to defensive negation.

This overiew is an attempt to explore optimism concept and its relations with mental health, physical health, coping, quality of life and adaptation of purpose, health lifestyle and risk perception.

OPTIMISM AND MENTAL HEALTH

Positive and negative expectations regarding the future are important for understanding the vulnerability to mental disorders, in particular mood disorders. Recent studies have found an inverse correlation between optimism and depressive symptoms [ 7 , 8 ], and also between optimism and suicidal ideation [ 9 ]. As such, optimism seems to have an important moderating role in the association between feelings of loss of hope and suicidal ideation [ 10 ]. In relation to this, Van der Velden et al. [ 11 ] have recently studied the association between ‘dispositional optimism’ and depression in victims of a natural disaster. The results of this research show that compared to optimists, pessimists nurtured little hope for the future and were more at risk for depressive and anxiety disorders, with subsequent impairment of social functioning and quality of life. The role of optimism in the quality of life has also been investigated in depressive disorders emerging in patients suffering from somatic pathologies, (such as acute coronary syndrome, for instance) in which a significant inverse correlation was found between dispositional optimism and level of satisfaction in life on one hand and depressive symptoms emerging after the cardiovascular event on the other hand [ 12 ].

Giltay et al. [ 13 ] raised the question of using psychotherapy to promote an optimistic disposition in pessimistic subjects, thus developing an efficient strategy to fight depression. Evidence regarding this subject has emerged also from studies carried out on victims of catastrophic events such as natural disasters. In fact, it has been observed that even one single session of cognitive-behavioural therapy, targeted at enhancing the sense of control and coping with incapacitating disturbances that ensue after a natural disaster, may contribute to improving the well-being of the individual [ 14 ]. A brief intervention of this type, focused on recuperating an active coping strategy and regaining control, may be significant for ‘pessimistic’ victims, considering that they are more inclined to avoid problems and “give up”, instead of trying to regain control of their lives [ 13 ].

OPTIMISM AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

Despite the small number of studies published on this matter, the relation between physical health and optimism is as important as that between optimism and mental health described above. Many studies have found that optimism is correlated with better physical well-being compared to pessimism. Moreover, in contrast with optimism, pessimism is correlated with excessive somatic complaints [ 15 ]. In a study on a population of elderly subjects of both sexes, aged between 65-85 years, Giltay et al. [ 16 ] noted that dispositional optimism predicted less probability of mortality in general and of cardiovascular mortality in particular. These data have been confirmed in a subsequent longitudinal study on a population of males aged between 64 - 84 years in which an inverse correlation was reported between dispositional optimism and the risk of cardiovascular death [ 13 ]. Matthews et al. [ 17 ] observed that in the three years following the menopause, carotid atherosclerosis tended to progress more slowly in optimistic women compared to their pessimistic peers. In reference to oncological patients, Schulz et al. [ 18 ] noted that high scores on the pessimism items of the LOT (a measure of dispositional optimism) [ 1 ] significantly predicted premature death in young patients with breast cancer. Among patients with neck or head cancer, optimists manifested significantly greater survival a year after diagnosis when compared to pessimists [ 19 ]. In a recent study, Ironson et al. [ 20 ] showed how dispositional optimism, less avoidant coping strategies and lower level of depression positively influence progression of the illness in patients suffering from AIDS.

Although optimism is commonly believed to be a protective factor with regard to well-being and physical and psychical health [ 1 ] some research has suggested that this is not always the case. Schofield et al. [ 21 ] found that optimism did not predict lower mortality rates among lung cancer patients. Also studies concerning the immune system turned out contrasting results. Tomakowsky et al. [ 22 ] investigated the correlation between the “dispositional” optimism [ 1 ] and the “attributional” optimism [ 2 , 4 ] mentioned earlier, with the clinical and immune condition of subject affected with AIDS. The results of their research indicated that both types of optimism were associated with an improvement of the symptomatology of AIDS. Nevertheless, in the long term, high levels of optimism, in particular, of the attributional type, were associated with a significant impairment of the immune defence system. Milam et al. [ 23 ], on the other hand, found that high levels of optimism do not confer any clinical improvement to AIDS patients, although moderate levels were found to be associated with more efficacious immune systems. Segerstrom [ 24 , 25 ] examined two hypotheses that may explain these results: the disappointment hypothesis, according to which persistent and uncontrollable stressors reduce the positive expectations that are typical of optimists and thus consequently control over the stress factors, leading to decrease in immune defence. The other is the engagement hypothesis theorizing that more optimistic individuals are more easily drawn to trying to resolve a problem while pessimists tend to let the matter drop, thus ending up more exposed to stress. As such, in cases of severe illnesses like AIDS, when associated with the elevated levels of cortisol and adrenalin that typically present when faced with stress, optimism may actually determine a decrease in the defence mechanisms of the immune system.

OPTIMISM AND COPING

Coping refers to those mechanisms and mental processes enacted by the individual as an adaptive response to reduce the stress deriving from a threatening situation, as defined by Lazarus and Opton [ 26 ].

From the early studies of Scheier et al. [ 27 ], a significant positive relation emerged between optimism and different aspects of life, such as coping strategies focalized on the problem, looking for social support and emphasis of the positive aspects of the stressful situation.

Despite a certain amount of dissent, other researchers confirmed the first results. Dispositional optimism was found to be positively correlated with those coping strategies ideated to eliminate, reduce or manage the stressors and negatively correlated with those employed to ignore, avoid or distance oneself from stressors and emotions [ 28 ]. Moreover, the choice of the coping strategy shows to be constant over the course of time [ 29 ]. Low levels of dispositional optimism were observed in students who were particularly vulnerable to the normal difficulties encountered in scholastic environments and who developed intolerance or even hostility towards the school [ 30 ]. Also in the work environment a positive association was observed between optimism and performance, mediated by the positive influence that optimism has on coping strategies [ 31 ]. Many studies have confirmed that optimists tend to use coping strategies that focalize on the problem more frequently compared to pessimists. When these strategies cannot be enacted, optimists resort to adaptive strategies that focalize on the emotions, for example, acceptance, humour and positive re-assessment of the situation [ 27 , 32 - 34 ].

Through employment of specific coping strategies, optimism exerts an indirect influence also on the quality of life. In a sample of women with breast cancer Schou et al. [ 35 ] found that optimistic women presented coping strategies characterized by acceptance of the situation, emphasis of the positive aspects and attempts to alleviate their condition with a sense of humour, showing evident positive results on their quality of life. In contrast, the pessimistic women reacted with sentiments of impotence and loss of hope which significantly worsened their quality of life.

OPTIMISM, QUALITY OF LIFE AND ADAPTATION OF PURPOSE

Quality of life refers to life conditions of an individual (health, wealth, social conditions) and satisfaction of personal desires, measured on a scale of personal values [ 36 ]. As such, we are dealing with a multidimensional construct that integrates objective and subjective indicators, a wide range of varying contexts of life and individual values.

Wrosch and Scheier [ 34 ] evidenced two variables capable of influencing quality of life: optimism and adaptation of purpose. Both in fact exert a fundamental role in adaptive management of critical circumstances in life and of goals to reach. There is evidence that optimistic people present a higher quality of life compared to those with low levels of optimism or even pessimists [ 37 , 38 ]. It has been demonstrated that in the presence of severe pathological conditions, optimistic patients adapt better to stressful situations compared to pessimists, with positive repercussions on their quality of life. For example, in a sample of patients who underwent an aortic-coronary bypass, optimism was significantly and positively associated with quality of life in the six months following the operation [ 39 ]. The optimistic patients in fact presented a more rapid clinical improvement during the period of hospitalization and a quicker return to daily routine after discharge from hospital. Analogous results are reported in samples of patients with other pathologies. In patients affected with epilepsy, Pais-Ribeiro et al. [ 40 ] found that optimists showed an improved perception of their physical and mental state of health and reported higher quality of life compared to pessimists. Kung et al. [ 41 ] examined the relation between optimism-pessimism and quality of life in patients with cancer of the neck, head or thyroid. In all the subjects, optimism was associated with better quality of life in both the scales of the physical and mental components of the MMPI ( Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory ) [ 42 ], in six of the eight subscales of the SF-12 ( 12-item Short Form Health Survey) [ 43 ] and of the SF-36 (36 -item Short Form Health Survey) [ 44 ].

Lastly, in women with breast cancer, optimism was associated with better quality of life in terms of emotional, functional and socio-familial well-being [ 45 ].

Many studies have outlined the importance on quality of life of an individual’s capacity to adapt and modify his/her own objectives according to different situations [ 32 , 34 ]. It is possible to avoid or reduce the negative psychological and physical repercussions consequent to the non-achievement of a goal (for example, becoming ill despite constant efforts to stay healthy) through a process of adaptive self-regulation targeted at disengaging oneself from an unrealizable goal and concentrating efforts instead on more attainable objectives. In fact this form of release from a commitment is adaptive because it averts the patient from the emotionally negative consequences of repeated failures, while re-directing the objectives gives back meaning and a sense of purpose to life. Individuals who succeed in this present better quality of life and better physical health compared to those who have greater difficulty in renouncing their unattainable goals. Moreover, they are more optimistic towards their future because they are able to manage difficulties more efficiently as well as to identify new aims in life.

OPTIMISM, HEALTH LIFESTYLE AND RISK PERCEPTION

One way in which optimism may significantly influence physical well-being is through promotion of a healthy lifestyle. In fact, it is thought that optimism facilitates adaptive behaviours and cognitive responses that consent negative information to be elaborated more efficiently and that are associated with greater flexibility and problem-solving capacity [ 3 ]. These coping strategies are in turn predictive of behaviours targeted at avoiding, and if necessary facing positively, health problems [ 46 , 47 ].

Several studies have analysed the correlations between optimism and healthy behaviours. In particular Steptoe et al. [ 48 ] in a sample of males and females aged between 65 – 80 years found that optimism was correlated with healthy behaviours such as abstaining from smoking, moderate consumption of alcohol, the habit of walking briskly and regular physical activity, regardless of demographical factors, current psycho-physical conditions and body mass.

A recent cohort study which examined 545 males aged between 64 – 84 for fifteen years revealed a significant inverse relation between dispositional optimism and death for cardio-vascular diseases, with a reduction of 50% of the risk of cardio-vascular death in the optimistic individuals [ 49 ].

Numerous researches have investigated the relation between risk perception and unrealistic optimism that leads to involvement in risky situations. Unrealistically optimistic subjects tend to perceive themselves as being less at risk compared to pessimists, as far as questions of health are concerned, and furthermore believe themselves more capable of preventing such problems from happening [ 4 ]. For example, comparing groups of students with a marked disposition towards risky behaviour and students having a low tendency to get involved in such behaviour, Todesco and Hillman [ 50 ] found that both groups assessed the possibility of damaging consequences of a given situation, but the first group was at variance for the fact that these students perceived themselves as invulnerable.

Smokers represent an important field in the study of the relation between unrealistic optimism and perception of risk for the health. These subjects consider themselves to be less at risk than others for developing illnesses associated with smoking which has been interpreted as a form of irrationality or rather, as an expression of optimistic bias. McKenna et al. [ 51 ] illustrated that smokers, while considering themselves to have a greater risk of contracting pathologies linked to smoking compared to non-smokers, nonetheless perceived such a risk as inferior when compared to the average number of smokers (optimistic bias). More recent studies have indicated that smokers have a significantly lower perception of risk in comparison with non-smokers [ 52 ]. By way of confirmation of these data, it was observed that smokers with unrealistic optimism (that is, those who perceived their own risk as lower than the effective risk) tended to believe that smoking only for a few years they would not incur any risk of lung cancer and that developing lung cancer depends solely on genetic predisposition [ 53 ].

Furthermore, unrealistic optimists barely considered the hypothesis of giving up smoking in order to reduce the risk of cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Optimism is a tendency to expect good things in the future. From the literature here reviewed, it is apparent that optimism is a mental attitude that heavily influences physical and mental health, as well as coping with everyday social and working life. Through an adaptive management of personal goals and development and by using active coping tactics, optimists are significantly more successful than pessimists in aversive events and when important life-goals are impaired.

Clinics should develop an application form of optimism concept in Applied Psychology and in Psychotherapy. As a matter of fact, application form of optimism concept should be integrated in treatments and prevention programs respectively in mental and physical health, to improve well-being.

AUTHORS' CONTRIBUTIONS

The authors conceived the manuscript and drafted it. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

55 Optimism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best optimism topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on optimism, 📌 simple & easy optimism essay titles.

• Migration From Optimistic and Pessimistic Approaches Due to this skewed focus, the general migration theories fail to offer critical insights into the real picture of migration impacts on the development in the countries that send the migrants.
• Optimism in Literature and Its Impact on Readers There is an abundance of books that offer the safe escape into a fictional world and teach their readers that there are no unsolvable problems.
• Concepts of Optimism and Hope Hope is a feeling inherent in a person that stimulates him to move on, to believe in the best. I would also like to create a strong family, become a good person and do something […]
• Optimism: Definition, Importance, and Meaning Immune responses seem to have a strong link with high levels of confidence and optimism in people living with conditions that attract stigmatization in their societies.
• Learned Optimism: Coping Mechanism for Nurses Therefore, the application of learned optimism as the means of releasing tension and reducing stress rates leads to a drop in the probability of a burnout.
• How Optimism Improves Immunity Optimism and happiness have an impact on the well-being and health of a person, and optimistic behavior is proved to be one of the stimuli for improved immunity.
• Newlyweds’ Optimistic Forecasts of Their Marriage The first instrument used was the Quality of Marriage Index, a six-item scale requiring partners to describe the level of their agreement and disagreements regarding their marriage in general.
• Fostering the Development of Optimism and Resilience The role of a counselor is to help a client or a family to find a direction. Inspiring the client to feel able to orchestrate events and people in a way that positively influences the […]
• Optimism and Its Effects on Health This is also important in facing some of the life’s problems which result in psychological problems and this means that the people who are optimistic have a positive outlook of life and this ensures that […]
• Woody Allen and Leo Tolstoy on the Meaning of Life: Pessimism vs. Optimism Whereas Tolstoy has written a highly literary examination of a wasted life from a Christian perspective, God is a farce in which the characters are named after diseases, the play moves haphazardly from Athens to […]
• Cultivating Optimism Strategy Review We need to take charge and get released of doubt and fear in order to surge ahead in creating what matters to us in being very important to achieve in life.
• Optimistic Thinking Flues Success This is because the life we are living in is full of so many challenges and it’s only through optimism that we are in a position to see things into success.
• The Optimism in Tragedy Analysis The words “I will live for love, and the rest will take care of itself,” which begin the dedication of the book and which Marina pronounced on her graduation day, are fundamental for the tone […]
• Irrational Optimism and Investment Shares are a long term investment and the probability of getting proceeds is not guaranteed because it solely depends on the performance of the shares in the market.
• Accounting for Optimism and Pessimism in Expected Utility
• Affect, Risk Perception, and Future Optimism After the Tsunami Disaster
• Business Optimism for Small, Medium, and Large Firms: Does It Explain Investment
• Comparing the Concepts of Optimism and Hopefulness
• Characterizing Optimism and Pessimism Directly Through Comonotonicity
• Under What Circumstances Might Optimism Be Harmful
• Confidence, Optimism, and Litigation: A Litigation Model Under Ambiguity
• Consumers’ Optimism Bias and Responses to Risk Disclosures in Drug Advertising
• Curbing Optimism Bias and Strategic Misrepresentation in Planning
• Cyberchondria During the Coronavirus Pandemic: The Effects of Neuroticism and Optimism
• Dispositional Optimism and Stock Investments
• Does Perceived Emotional Intelligence and Optimism Predict Psychological Well-Being
• Entrepreneurial Under-Diversification: Over Optimism and Overconfidence
• Entrepreneurship: Cause and Consequence of Financial Optimism
• Gender Differences From Comparative Optimism
• Serial Mediating Roles of Social Support and Optimism
• Assessing the Pharmacological Optimism and Neuroenhancement Prevalence Hypotheses
• Investment Cash Flow Sensitivity and Managerial Optimism
• Learning Hope and Optimism: Classmate Experiences and Adolescent Development
• Materialism and Optimism: Crucial American Social Norms
• Modeling Optimism and Pessimism in the Foreign Exchange Market
• Optimism and Its Effects on Mental and Physical Health
• Optimism and Mental Health of Minority Students: Moderating Effects of Cultural Adaptability
• Optimism and the Perceptions of New Risks
• Over-Optimism and Lender Liability in the Consumer Credit Market
• Is Emotional Intelligence a Mediator for Optimism and Hope
• Relationship Between Optimism and Subjective Well Being
• Situated Optimism and Firm Growth in Subsistence Economies
• The Acquisition Puzzle and Mispricing: Evidence of Over-Optimism
• The Evolution and Persistence of Optimism in Litigation
• Treating Depression With Online Optimism Intervention
• Reasons for Optimism: The Current State of the American Economy
• Population Pessimism and Economic Optimism in the Asian Giants
• Optimism and Achievement: The Educational Performance of Immigrant Youth
• Entrepreneurial Optimism and the Market for New Issues
• Bank Lending and Real Estate in Asia: Market Optimism and Asset Bubbles
• Ambiguity, Pessimism, Optimism, and Financial Crises in a Simple Global Game Model
• The Role of Optimism in a Person’s Success
• Understanding Technological Optimism and Pessimism
• The Case for Optimism on Climate Change
• Hope Research Topics
• Cognitive Psychology Topics
• Self-Efficacy Essay Titles
• Satire Essay Ideas
• Emotional Development Questions
• Inspiration Topics
• Belief Questions
• Behaviorism Research Ideas
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, March 2). 55 Optimism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/optimism-essay-topics/

"55 Optimism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." IvyPanda , 2 Mar. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/optimism-essay-topics/.

IvyPanda . (2024) '55 Optimism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 2 March.

IvyPanda . 2024. "55 Optimism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/optimism-essay-topics/.

1. IvyPanda . "55 Optimism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/optimism-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "55 Optimism Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/optimism-essay-topics/.

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

• Basic site functions
• Ensuring secure, safe transactions
• Secure account login
• Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
• Remembering privacy and security settings
• Analyzing site traffic and usage
• Personalized search, content, and recommendations
• Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

• Remembering general and regional preferences
• Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy .

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy .

• Bipolar Disorder
• Therapy Center
• When To See a Therapist
• Types of Therapy
• Best Online Therapy
• Best Couples Therapy
• Managing Stress
• Sleep and Dreaming
• Understanding Emotions
• Self-Improvement
• Healthy Relationships
• Student Resources
• Personality Types
• Sweepstakes
• Guided Meditations
• Verywell Mind Insights
• 2024 Verywell Mind 25
• Mental Health in the Classroom
• Editorial Process
• Meet Our Review Board
• Crisis Support

Being Optimistic When the World Around You Isn't

It's possible to look on the bright side even when no one else is

M-imagephotography / Getty Images

• Embrace the Benefits

Choose Optimism

Avoid negativity, recognize negative thinking, cultivate positivity, imagine a positive future, practice gratitude.

Sometimes, it’s hard to be happy when you think about negative things that are happening in the world. It’s harder still when the people around you are constantly talking about all those negative things. But you don't have to join ranks with the pessimists. In fact, it's extra important to be optimistic when there's negativity surrounding you.

Being optimistic means that you possess an overall positive outlook of the world, trusting that good things will happen and that people's desires will be fulfilled. On the other hand, being pessimistic means you assume a negative outlook of the world.

While most people fall somewhere in the middle between being a complete optimist and being a complete pessimist, we usually favor one outlook over the other. Learn how infusing some optimism into your life can benefit your health.

Benefits of Optimism

Choosing to be optimistic offers surprising benefits. These include:

• Confidence : Optimism is linked with increased levels of confidence, especially when it comes to making decisions and feeling secure with the choices you make.
• Decreased risk of illness : A study from the University of Pittsburgh concluded that women who had an optimistic outlook had a 30% lower risk of heart disease. A University of Michigan study linked optimism to a lower risk of stroke.
• Improved quality of life : One study found that people who were optimists and had positive expectations about the future experienced an improved quality of life when compared to people who had low levels of optimism and to pessimists.
• Longer lifespan : Research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that optimists are less likely to experience disabilities as they get older and end up living longer than pessimists.
• Mental health benefits : People who are optimistic tend to experience less stress and feel a greater appreciation for other people.
• Relieved depression symptoms : Optimism is linked with lessening the symptoms of depression and even reducing suicidal ideation .
• Sleep quality : Being optimistic may improve your sleep quality, which is a key component in improving and maintaining your mental health.

Press Play for Advice On Optimism

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of  The Verywell Mind Podcast , shares how you can learn to be more optimistic and the benefits that come with being more optimistic. Click below to listen now.

Follow Now : Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts

If you think you’re a natural-born pessimist and there’s no way you can turn your mindset around, think again—research published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry compared two groups of people to test their thinking patterns.

The first group completed a 5-minute exercise that involved thinking positive thoughts about their future, while the second group just went about their daily lives without making effort to think optimistically. The first group significantly increased their optimism over the two-week period, with many of them feeling more optimistic after just one day.

If you want to become a more optimistic person—despite the negativity surrounding you—then you can take measures to think positively and spread that optimistic outlook to those around you.

You have choices in your life. You can spend the day cleaning or spend the day reading. You can go out to dinner or cook at home. You can have coffee with a friend or you can blow them off.

And, finally, you can decide to be positive or you can just go on living like you are. Being an optimistic person in a negative world begins with the decision to be positive and choosing to live that life every single day.

You might refer to them as "whiners" or even " toxic ," but however you think of them, pessimists tend to suck the positive energy out of the room.

It’s important to establish healthy boundaries with people who chronically choose to stay stuck in their own misery, especially if they don't show empathy for others.

That may mean having to say things to a friend like, "I notice every time I offer you an idea about how you could make your situation better, you insist nothing will work. I am not sure I’m able to help." It may also mean distancing yourself a bit from a relative who insists on sharing their latest predictions about the end of the world.

You may also consider limiting your media intake. Watching too many tragic stories on the news or consuming too much political news on social media can decrease your ability to maintain an optimistic outlook. Informed, but not overwhelmed should be the goal.

It’s OK to acknowledge that bad things might happen. After all, ignoring reality isn’t helpful. In fact, being realistic could be the key to doing your best. If you’re excessively positive about an upcoming interview, you might not spend any time preparing because you’re confident you’ll land the job.

If, however, you have an excessively negative outlook, you might sabotage your chances of getting hired. Thinking, "No one will ever hire me," for example, can cause you to look and feel defeated when you walk into the interview room. Your lack of confidence may be the reason you don’t get hired.

A healthy outlook would be to remind yourself that all you can do is your best and you’ll be OK, regardless of the outcome.

Being optimistic helps you believe that brighter opportunities are on the horizon and you’re able to put in the effort to earn those opportunities. When you’re thinking negatively, take a moment to assess how realistic your thoughts truly are.

Reframing your overly negative thoughts into more realistic statements can help you maintain a healthy dose of optimism.

While it’s not your job to make everyone happy, it doesn’t hurt to perk up someone’s day. Once a day, share positive feedback with someone.

At work, compliment someone about a good question raised in an email or salient points that they brought up in an important meeting. At home, praise your child for how hard they worked on their math homework. Or, tell your partner how much you appreciate them.

Making other people feel positive has lasting effects on your own life.  

With that, don’t forget to bestow positivity on yourself. Before bed, think about what you did during the day. Even if it was a generally lackluster day, there’s bound to be something you can praise yourself for, whether it was keeping your cool when a driver cut you off or wrapping up a project that had really been a challenge for you.

It sounds kitschy, but writing down your ideas of an optimistic future can truly make a difference when it comes to your overall outlook. If you need a primer, here’s what to do: Spend 20 minutes on four consecutive days writing down what you want to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year—feel free to dream big.

Consider a serious challenge you have in your life right now and think about possible positive outcomes.

Thinking about all the things you have to be grateful for, from warm sunshine to clean water, can give you an instant boost of optimism. You might even decide to keep a gratitude journal , in which you write down everything that makes you crack a smile during the day.  

If nothing else, take a moment to stop, smile and be grateful for the good things in your life.

It’s hard to be optimistic without feeling gratitude toward those that helped you get to that happy place. While thinking about how grateful you are is helpful, sharing your gratitude with others provides added benefits. You’ll spread a bit of joy and cheer when you tell others how much you appreciate them.

Write a letter to someone who made a positive impact on your life, whether it’s a teacher, a former boss or even your mom. If possible, deliver that letter in person.

A Word From Verywell

Though it can be hard to remain positive in the face of obstacles, remember that optimism is a skill you can learn. Start with one small step. Maybe you choose to catch yourself the next time you're dwelling on a negative thought and swap in a positive thought instead.

If you find that your negative thoughts are distressing and reducing your quality of life, try reaching out to a mental health professional, like a therapist, who can help you understand your thought patterns and work with you to find better coping skills.

American Psychological Association. Optimism .

Lench HC, Levine LJ, Dang V, et al. Optimistic expectations have benefits for effort and emotion with little cost . Emotion. 2021;21(6):1213-1223. doi:10.1037/emo0000957

Tindle HA, Chang YF, Kuller LH, et al. Optimism, cynical hostility, and incident coronary heart disease and mortality in the Women's Health Initiative .  Circulation . 2009;120(8):656–662. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.827642

Kim ES, Park N, Peterson C. Dispositional optimism protects older adults from stroke: The Health and Retirement Study .  Stroke . 2011;42(10):2855–2859. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.111.613448

Conversano C, Rotondo A, Lensi E, Della Vista O, Arpone F, Reda MA. Optimism and its impact on mental and physical well-being .  Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health . 2010;6:25-29. doi:10.2174/1745017901006010025

Steptoe A, de Oliveira C, Demakakos P, Zaninotto P. Enjoyment of life and declining physical function at older ages: a longitudinal cohort study .  CMAJ . 2014;186(4):E150–E156. doi:10.1503/cmaj.131155

Newman DB, Gordon AM, Mendes WB. Comparing daily physiological and psychological benefits of gratitude and optimism using a digital platform . Emotion. 2021;21(7):1357-1365. doi:10.1037/emo0001025

Meevissen YM, Peters ML, Alberts HJ. Become more optimistic by imagining a best possible self: Effects of a two week intervention .  J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry . 2011;42(3):371–378. doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2011.02.012

McNaughton-Cassill ME.  The news media and psychological distress .  Anxiety Stress Coping . 2001;14(2):193-211. doi:10.1080/10615800108248354

Carver CS, Scheier MF, Segerstrom SC. Optimism .  Clin Psychol Rev . 2010;30(7):879–889. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.01.006

Lambert DM, Gwinn M, Baumeister RF, Strachman A, Washburn IJ, Gable SL, Fincham FD. A boost of positive affect: The perks of sharing positive experiences . J Soc Pers Relat . 2012;30(1):24-43. doi:10.1177/0265407512449400

Boggio P, Giglio A, Nakao C, Wingenbach T, Marques L, Koller S, Gruber J. Writing about gratitude increases emotion-regulation efficacy . J Posit Psychol . 2019;1-12. doi:10.1080/17439760.2019.1651893

KelbererLJ, Kraines MA, Wells TT. Optimism, hope, and attention for emotional stimuli . Personality and Individual Differences . 2018;124:84-90.

Shepperd JA, Pogge G, Howell JL. Assessing the consequences of unrealistic optimism: Challenges and recommendations . Consciousness and Cognition . 2017;50:69-78.

By Amy Morin, LCSW Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

Optimism Essay

Related essays:.

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Optimism — Analysis of the Benefits of Optimism

Analysis of The Benefits of Optimism

• Categories: Human Nature Human Physiology Optimism

About this sample

Words: 768 |

Published: Oct 2, 2020

Words: 768 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Works Cited:

• Barroll, L. (1997). Politics, Colonialism, and the Tempest. Shakespeare Quarterly, 48(4), 383-412. doi:10.2307/2871366.
• Bhabha, H. K. (1985). Signs taken for wonders: Questions of ambivalence and authority under a tree outside Delhi, May 1817. Critical Inquiry, 12(1), 144-165. doi:10.1086/448370.
• Césaire, A. (2002). A Tempest. (R. Miller, Trans.). University of California Press.
• Greenblatt, S. (1988). The improvisation of power. In Shakespearean Negotiations (pp. 1-32). University of California Press.
• Hulme, P. (1989). Prospero and Caliban. Critical Quarterly, 31(3), 54-64. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8705.1989.tb00534.x.
• JanMohamed, A. R. (1985). The economy of Manichean allegory: The function of racial difference in colonialist literature. Critical Inquiry, 12(1), 59-87. doi:10.1086/448365.
• Loomba, A. (2002). Shakespeare, race, and colonialism. Oxford University Press.
• Said, E. (1979). Orientalism. Vintage Books.
• Vaughan, V. M. (1993). Representing Caliban. Shakespeare Quarterly, 44(1), 1-31. doi:10.2307/2871308.
• Yachnin, P. (1992). The politics of Prospero. Shakespeare Quarterly, 43(1), 1-32. doi:10.2307/2871148.

Cite this Essay

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof. Kifaru

Verified writer

• Expert in: Philosophy Nursing & Health Life

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 416 words

4 pages / 1705 words

3 pages / 1274 words

4 pages / 2199 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Optimism

Seligman, M. E. P. (2006). Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. Vintage.Pressman, S. D., & Cohen, S. (2005). Does positive affect influence health? Psychological Bulletin, 131(6), 925-971.Segerstrom, S. C. [...]

The concept of positive thinking as a catalyst for improving life's outcomes has fascinated psychologists, philosophers, and the general public alike. The power of positive thinking is not merely a modern self-help slogan but a [...]

In Voltaire's satirical novel "Candide," the character Pangloss embodies the philosophy of optimism, believing that all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds. However, as the story unfolds and Candide experiences a [...]

Cephalocaudal development is a concept in developmental psychology that refers to the pattern of growth and development that occurs from the head downwards. This means that during the early stages of development, the head and [...]

“Pessimistic labels lead to passivity, whereas optimistic ones lead to attempts to change”. Seligman in 1968 came with the concept of ‘learned helplessness’. Seligman along with Steve Maier and Bruce Overmier were studying dogs. [...]

Technological optimism is the belief that technology can be used to better our lives and that it can make the world a better place. A lot of people nowadays rely heavily on technology, and there is good reason for it. One [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

• Skip to Navigation
• Skip to Main Content
• Skip to Related Content
• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Newsletters
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Balance transfer cards
• Cash back cards
• Rewards cards
• Travel cards
• Online checking
• High-yield savings
• Money market
• Home equity loan
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Options pit
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

• Fantasy Football
• College Sports
• Yahoo Sports AM
• Horse Racing
• What & How To Watch
• Scores/Schedule
• Power Rankings
• Woj retires from ESPN
• Fantasy: Time to panic for Kelce?
• Latest NFL news, updates
• WR released after IG post
• Altuve removes shoe, ejected

5 reasons for optimism after Steelers' Week 2 win in Denver

Keeping with typical Steelers ' fashion, Pittsburgh won a one-score game, and it came down to the very end. While there are some definite elements to improve upon, here are 5 reasons to be optimistic moving forward, after the Steelers' Week 2 win in Denver .

Defense is elite

Through two weeks of football, Pittsburgh has a top-five rush defense, a top-five total defense, and is top-three in defensive turnovers.

Running game is coming together

While pass blocking continues to need work, the run blocking has been dominant thus far. A weakness a few seasons ago, the interior O-line is now the spearhead of the offense.

Time of possession is off the charts good

While the Pittsburgh Steelers ' offense may not be scoring many touchdowns, they don't need to if opponents have little time to score themselves. The Steelers are ranked 6th in the NFL with average time of possession of 33:57.

Key starters returning from injury soon

The frustration behind Fields' complacency may soon be a thing of the past, with QB Russell Wilson possibly coming back from injury as soon as Week 5. The always reliable starting LG Isaac Seumalo should also be returning soon.

Steelers are furthering their lead in the AFC North

The Ravens and Bengals have both lost one complete layup each, falling to 0-2 on the season. While the Browns are 1-1, the Steelers still have a firm grip on the AFC North, with a 2-0 record heading into Week 3.

This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: 5 reasons for optimism after Steelers' Week 2 win in Denver

• Financial Analysis
• Corporate Stories
• Investigations
• Nairalytics
• Commodities
• Company Results
• Stock Market
• Fixed Income
• Market Views
• Company News
• Consumer Goods
• Corporate Updates
• Corporate deals
• Corporate Press Releases
• Entertainment
• Financial Services
• Hospitality & Travel
• Manufacturing
• Real Estate and Construction
• Business News
• Career tips
• Personal Finance
• Billionaire Watch
• Access Holdings Offer
• Fidelity Bank Offer
• Zenith Bank Offer

Heirs insurance group announces winners of N8 Million essay championship scholarship 

L:R- Charles Odii DG, SMEDAN; Alhaji Misbau Umar Yola, Non-Executive Director, Heirs General Insurance; Niyi Onifade, MD/CEO, Heirs Life Assurance and the Group’s Sector Head; Hephzibah Chidi, Winner, 2024 Heirs Insurance Essay Championship; Tony Aniemeke, MD/CEO, Heirs Insurance Brokers and Ifesinachi Okpagu, Chief Marketing Officer, Heirs Insurance Group.

Heirs Insurance Group, Nigeria’s fastest-growing insurance Group, has announced the winners of its 2024 Essay Championship, who will be awarded N8million scholarship.

The winners were announced at a grand ceremony at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, as part of an all-expense paid event hosted by the Group for the finalists, their parents and school representatives.

The winner, Hephzibah Chidi from Seacrest Preparatory in Rivers State, who won the first-place position and a N5million scholarship, captivated the judges with her winning essay and presentation of “The Story of My Hero”.

Related Stories

In addition to her N5M Scholarship, Hephzibah Chidi’s school, Seacrest Preparatory was awarded a N1M grant to support an educational project.

The other winners include Pemisire Owolabi from Quest College in Oyo State, who won second place with a N2million scholarship, and Mariam Raheem from Isador Model School in Lagos State, who won the third-place position with a N1million scholarship.

All winners received their awards in the presence of their parents and school representatives, distinguished guests, including, Director General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Charles Odii, and hosts of the event – Niyi Onifade, MD/CEO, Heirs Life Assurance and the Group’s Sector Head; Tony Aniemeke, MD/CEO, Heirs Insurance Brokers, among others.

This year’s Championship attracted nearly 5,000 participants from Junior Secondary Schools nationwide, all showcasing exceptional creativity and innovative ideas. The Championship highlights Heirs Insurance Group’s unwavering commitment to supporting education and promoting financial literacy.

Speaking at the event, Niyi Onifade, MD/CEO, Heirs Life Assurance and Sector Head, Heirs Insurance Group, said: “At Heirs Insurance Group, we understand that education is not only a pathway to a better future but also a catalyst for financial empowerment. Through this Championship, we are nurturing young talent and bridging the financial literacy gap, fulfilling our purpose of improving lives and transforming Nigeria”.   

Speaking further, Onifade praised the outstanding efforts of all participants, “I am proud of the creativity and critical thinking displayed by our finalists, as well as every student who submitted an essay. These young minds are shaping the future of our country, and we are proud to support them.”

A distinguished panel of academic professionals, led by a Professor of English, rigorously evaluated each entry.  The top 15 essays advanced to the next round of assessments, from which the top 3 finalists were chosen to compete in the grand finale. To ensure the highest standards of fairness and transparency, Deloitte & Touche was engaged as an independent Quality Assurer throughout the grading process, guaranteeing a free and fair evaluation for all participants.

The Heirs Insurance Essay Championship is a key component of Heirs Insurance Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts, geared towards enhancing the quality of education for the next generation. The Championship also highlights emerging talent, bringing parents and children closer to insurance through extended financial literacy workshops.

NM Partners

"NM Partners" encompasses a diverse range of articles and content published on behalf of various organizations, including corporate entities, government and non-governmental institutions, academic bodies, and key stakeholders in the economic sphere. This content spectrum covers press releases, formal announcements, specialized content, product promotions, and a variety of corporate communications tailored to engage our readership. Notably, a portion of these articles are sponsored content. At Nairametrics, while we provide a platform for these diverse voices, it is important to clarify that our relationship with the content under "NM Partners" does not imply endorsement or affiliation. The responsibility for the content accuracy and viewpoints expressed rests solely with the respective contributors. Nairametrics maintains a firm commitment to editorial independence and integrity. Consequently, we do not assume responsibility for any of the content published under "NM Partners." For any inquiries, comments, or feedback regarding the content featured in this section, we encourage open communication and can be reached at [email protected]. Additionally, we invite our readers and contributors to familiarize themselves with our Paid Post Guidelines, which outline the standards and processes governing paid content on our platform.

Related Posts

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Business News | Stock Market | Money Market | Cryptos | Financial Literacy | SME |

Recent News

Nelfund resolves bvn verification glitch, urges students to reapply for loans .

• CBN appoints Ada Chukwudozie as Chairperson, seven others as Board members of Keystone bank 

Follow us on social media:

• Android App
• Financial Literacy
• Ads Disclaimer
• Copyright Infringement

© 2024 Nairametrics

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Remember Me

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.