Is your glass half empty or half full?
When was the last time you felt bright, positive and perhaps had a glass-half-full outlook? When your outlook wasn’t perhaps a little bleak? That long ago, huh? Well, while deciding to be more positive isn’t always as easy as it sounds (especially in a pandemic!) it certainly is possible. And as it turns out, there are a number of benefits that come with putting a happy spin on the world. Let’s be really clear here - it’s not about discounting the negatives, it’s about consciously choosing to be aware of our mindset and challenge unhelpful thinking patterns. It’s about identifying those pessimistic versus optimistic thoughts, and understanding why these traits are important to our day to day lives. Let’s see why.
Are optimists happier than pessimists? Yes. Are they more resilient? Yes. Do they have more friends? Yes. Do they have more social support? Yes. Do they experience fewer emotional health problems like depression? Yes. Do they generally feel better? The answer is yes yes yes. But it doesn’t stop there.
“I don’t see optimism and pessimism as two distinct groups, but rather as a sliding scale. I certainly know some people in my life who are truly optimistic or pessimistic - but I don’t think I’m one of them. I seem to oscillate between the two. If I notice I’m slipping more towards the glass being half empty, I make a conscious effort to unpack what’s going on. Sometimes great gifts come from leaning into my pessimism”
It’s also been revealed that people who are optimistic are healthier and live longer than people with high levels of pessimism. Numerous studies have found that optimistic people have higher immunity and fewer physical & emotional health problems. While this all sounds great for the optimists among us, what about those of us who tend to have a glass half empty outlook? Is it really possible that we can change and become more optimistic? Well, the answer is yes!
One of the first steps to becoming more optimistic is to start by looking at your thinking style. What do you typically say to yourself when things go wrong? And what about when things go right? Psychologist Martin Seligman calls this our “explanatory style” and it refers to the way that we explain the cause and effect of our circumstances to ourselves.
Whether we are an optimist or a pessimist, there will be times in our lives when things go well, and when they don’t. But the important thing is how we react to these different times. Psychologists use terms like “awfulising” or “catastrophising” to describe a thinking style that tends to exaggerate the negative consequences of situations.
When faced with challenging situations pessimists tend to “awfulise” or use “catastrophic thinking”. They see problems as being permanent, while they view good things as being temporary. Unfortunately, this only makes them feel more distressed and a whole lot worse. Optimists on the other hand, view negative events as being temporary, and good things as permanent.
Experts believe that one of the first steps to “learning optimism” is to identify our reactions to events and see if we default to “awfulising”. Ask yourself: Do I tend to focus on the negative parts of an event and discount the positive parts? Or do I have a tendency to exaggerate and jump to the worst possible conclusion. If you notice yourself “awfulising” try asking yourself things like: Is my thought balanced or extreme? What evidence do I have for this thought? Or is there a more helpful way of looking at the situation?
If we tend to “awfulise” or “catastrophise” it will impact on the way we feel and it can easily result in us feeling anxious, worried and tense. While we may not be able to control different situations in our lives, we can control the way that we respond to them. So the more aware of our own ‘self talk’ that we are, the more optimistic and happier we can be.
Remember that even optimists experience negative thoughts, but it’s how they respond to them that sets them apart from pessimists. Winston Churchill once said “ A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”.
Specs of Gold
Identifying our own patterns of ‘self talk’ is key to identifying any “awfulising” or “catastrophic thinking styles” which can increase our distress levels
Optimistic people view negative events as temporary, whereas pessimistic people tend to view them as permanent
Read “Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life” by Martin Seligman.