How optimistic are you? Do you always see the glass half full or half empty? Two people can view the same situation in very different ways, so is it the situation that is making us feel that way, or is it us?
Research suggests that we actually need both; we benefit from an optimistic outlook, but also by tempering it with a healthy dose of pessimism. The two most important factors are
1) there is an optimum ratio of optimism to pessimism. Depending on the researcher this varies from 3;1 to 5:1, but basically it means be more optimistic than pessimistic!
2) You can train yourself to apply this ratio in your own life. You can learn to be optimistic.
Two very informative sources on this topic are:
'Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain' by Elaine Fox
'Positivity' by Barbara Fredrickson
Thought for the day: Why not take Barbara Fredrickson's positivity ratio test? It's in her book, but she also publishes an online version which you can take as many times as you like, for free. It's a good way of charting your progress. You can find it at:
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