The
Surprising Power of Optimism
by Ann
Hancock
"I can hardly imagine
living without hope. As for the future of the
world, there is a colorful spectrum of
possibilities, from the worst to the best. What
will happen, I do not know. Hope forces me to
believe that those better alternatives will
prevail, and above all it forces me to do
something to make them happen."
--Vaclav Havel,
dissident playwright, political prisoner,
President of Czechoslovakia
Forget doom and gloom.
Not only depressing and often repellent, doom
and gloom can also be self-fulfilling. Optimism
-- expecting good things to happen even in
defiance of reality -- can be also
self-fulfilling. Inspiring discoveries about
optimism's effects on individual performance
suggest potent applications on a broader
scale.
Studies reveal that
optimists tend to be healthier both mentally and
physically, living two years longer than
pessimists on average. Among people with AIDS,
optimists remain symptom free longer than
pessimists. Similarly for those with cancer, the
attitude with which a person receives the
diagnosis largely determines how the disease
will progress. A sunny outlook and a fighting
spirit modulate the nervous system in a way that
bolsters immune system defenses and raise the
level of disease-fighting cells.
Psychologist Martin
Seligman, author of "Learned Optimism,"
categorizes people according to the explanations
they offer of their own successes and failures.
Optimists view failure as something changeable
that can be overcome next time around, while
pessimists take the blame for failure,
attributing it to some lasting characteristic
they feel helpless to change.
Downplaying the bad and
internalizing the good, optimists maintain an
abiding belief in their own ability to handle
what life presents them. Rebounding from losses
with optimism enables one to more successfully
negotiate a world of constant change. Seligman
states that persistence serves as the
fundamental link between optimism and
performance. Additionally, optimists take more
risks and try more new things; they buoyantly
deal with problems head on rather than
withdrawing in assumed defeat.
Please note that being
optimistic does not guard against pain and
despair. To the contrary, such feelings are
essential for evoking empathy and responsive
action. Life challenges us to exercise optimism
while fully experiencing our circumstances --
whatever they may be.
Seligman's research has
shown that optimists perform better than
pessimists in almost all fields -- including
education, business, sports, and politics. Among
college students, optimism was a more reliable
predictor of academic success than SAT scores.
In another study, optimistic insurance salesmen
sold 57% more insurance than pessimists.
In studies aimed at
predicting election outcomes, evaluators scored
candidates' speeches for optimism. Using only
these scores for criteria, Seligman predicted
that Bush would face Dukakis in the 1988
presidential campaign long before the crowded
field of contenders was narrowed. Again using
only these criteria, Seligman also correctly
predicted the outcomes of 25 of 29 U.S. Senate
races in 1988.
I believe these findings
about optimism have direct translation to
encouraging worldwide sustainable behavior.
Shifting people's perceptions is the biggest
challenge for creating a positive future.
Increasingly, people are aware that we MUST
change course to avoid a worldwide ecological
disaster. The next required shift in perception
centers on generating belief that we CAN change
course.
To do so, we must
overcome masses of pessimism, cynicism,
fatalism, apathy, and helplessness: "What can
one person do? The problem is just too big. Who
cares? It's too far gone, anyway." Such
insidious beliefs are self-reinforcing and
self-sabotaging. Were we to cling to them, we
would cultivate our own demise.
Jerry Mander appeals for
optimism in his book, In the Absence of the
Sacred. Mander begins this passage -- one
that has fortified me for years -- by describing
Native Americans' positive outlook despite their
history of unimaginable suffering.
"Their strength is fed
by the knowledge that what they are doing is
rooted in the earth and deserves to succeed. But
aside from that, they fight their battles
without real thought of failure. They do it on
behalf of their values as well as their children
and grandchildren. They also do it with a humor
and kindliness that is itself inspiring.
"So, in that context, I
feel that talk of failure is very short-sighted,
unwise (since it is debilitating), indulgent,
inaccurate, but most of all useless."
Let us purposefully and
optimistically reframe the way we view our
current global ecological crisis: "We are
problem-solvers with enormous resources and
abilities. We love a challenge and accept this
one whole-heartedly. Future generations will
remember us with gratitude because of our
incredible willingness and success in embracing
this challenge, and our dedication to them in
doing so. We are thrilled and honored to be
alive now, and participate in the largest
transformation ever in human history."
Ann Hancock, the founding director of
Sustainable Sonoma County has dedicated herself
to forging a sustainable economy to preserve our
irreplaceable rural heritage.
eco.logic,
her monthly column, is published monthly in
Sonoma West Times and News; reprinted
with permission.
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