We can choose to look at things the negative way and always see the dark side of situations‚ or can choose to be positive and live a happy and fulfilling life. Why is it so important to live a positive life? Because it’s much more fulfilling. Optimism goes hand in hand with positive mood and good morale. It is also linked to athletic and academic success- to success in career and politics‚ to better health and longer life and positive individuals are much more attractive to people than negative
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Individual Optimism and Health John Smith Psy 220 March 23‚ 2011 Risa Hobson Optimists take proactive steps to protect their physical and mental health as well as focusing on goals that benefit their socioeconomic standing. "The trait of optimism may provide cognitive‚ coping‚ and contextual resources that promote better mental health" (Carver‚ et al.‚ 2010. p. 880 pp. 2). Optimism is a behavioral trait that describes people who look for the positive in a situation
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There are two theories regarding to the formulation of optimism. The first one being learned optimism which was conceptualized by Martin Seligman‚ and the second is the perspective of optimism by Michael Scheier and Charles Carver. Under the learned optimism theory‚ the optimist responds to the inquiry‚ “Why did that bad thing happened to me?” In scientific terms‚ the optimist makes outer‚ variable‚ and particular attributions for fiasco-like events as opposed to internal‚ steady‚ and global attributions
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meaning and purpose (Seligman 2002‚ p. 61). According to Seligman‚ we can experience three kinds of happiness: 1) pleasure and gratification‚ 2) embodiment of strengths and virtues and 3) meaning and purpose. Each kind of happiness is linked to positive emotion but from his quote‚ you can see that in his mind there is a progression from the first type of happiness of pleasure/gratification to strengths/virtues and finally meaning/purpose. The Pleasant Life: Past‚ Present & Future Seligman provides a mental
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Candide Written by Voltaire‚ Candide‚ is a story heavy with political satire. Meant to critique the philosopher Leibniz‚ Candide‚ explores optimism through humor‚ caricature‚ and satire. Candide is the story of a man (Candide) who is exiled from the Baron’s castle for having an affair with Cunegonde. The story follows Candide as he journeys through vastly different geographies interacting with a series of supporting characters. The book ends with the main cast of characters having survived a series
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Leibniz’s theory of optimism and the hardships brought on by the inaction toward the evils of the world. Voltaire’s use of satire‚ and its techniques of exaggeration and contrast highlight the evil and brutality of war and the world in general when men are meekly accepting their fate. Leibniz‚ a German philosopher and mathematician of Voltaire’s time‚ developed the idea that the world they were living in at that time was "the best of all possible worlds." This systematic optimism shown by Leibniz is
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life. The novel concludes with Candide saying that in order to obtain happiness ’We must cultivate our garden’. The meaning of this quote seems to be open to a wide variety of interpretations. This quotation is essentially rejecting the notion of optimism and expressing the idea that there is no solution to the problems of the world‚ and that the only thing we can do is carry on and ignore the world’s hardships. Throughout the story‚ Pangloss
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Optimism and Health There is much to be said about how optimism impacts our physical and psychological health. People who are optimistic are more likely to persevere in the face of diversity because they foresee a positive outcome. Ultimately our psychological self has a huge impact on our physical self. If we are going into a situation with a pessimistic attitude we will most likely be stressed‚ which could lead to high blood pressure and anxiety. This will in turn impact our psychological self
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The meaning of optimism is often misconstrued‚ so before I summarize and discuss this article‚ I would like to go into the meaning of optimism. Optimism means to expect and/or hope for the best possible outcome in every situation. Some people may refer to optimism as being hard or a waste of time‚ but the people that think this way do not recognize the effects that optimism has on physical and psychological health. When I try to describe an optimistic person‚ I think of a successful person with a
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Optimism and Health Paper Axia University/University of Phoenix Cultural Diversity PSY 220 Julie Delich November 6‚ 2010 Optimistic people are said to “anticipate the best possible outcome (Merriam-Webster‚ 2009).” This statement portrays how optimistic people approach life. Many studies have been conducted to determine whether optimism can actually lead to better physical and psychological well-being. Essentially‚ optimists are said to see the glass as half-full instead of half-empty
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