The Science of Optimism
Who do we want to be? Our lives are full of invisible decisions about who we are and who we want to become. Happiness is one of our most universal desires. However, happiness can be elusive due to a lack of understanding of what specifically makes one happy and the tendency to search for it outside oneself. Happiness is an inside job that asks for self-awareness and a clear understanding of one’s values and priorities.
What is the difference between happiness and optimism? Optimism is a choice and something we have a say in. Happiness is an emotion that we can cultivate, but not control. Optimism is a mindset that we can purposefully select in order to find fulfillment and peace in our lives. Each stage of life will demand our continued growth and having a positive mindset allows us to directly mitigate any physiological potential health issues and mental health struggles.
Optimism in society can sometimes be looked down on as too fluffy, too soft, too naive. However, this mindset is damaging to the reality of the tangible benefits of optimism.
“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].” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2894461/
What systems should one look to in order to promote optimism and reduce negativity, even in challenging life circumstances? The answers to this question will be individual and nuanced. However, there are some tried-and-true ways to improve your connection to an optimistic mindset.
Acknowledging ALL of the positive changes you are making in your life. Even a 2% positive change in your habits will create a lasting difference over time. Celebrate this daily!
Journaling and self-reflection prompts on your day to day feelings, past life events, and current mental health challenges. Get it all out to release stress and let your brain do some creative expression.
Help those that have less resources than you through donations, volunteering, or researching ways to provide community mutual aid.
Stay in touch with your best possible scenarios for your life; ideal home environments, ideal relationships, ideal incomes, ideal ways of being and feeling. Sit with these visualizations and welcome them as reality.
Start slow, start small, and explore your inner world. There are very real tangible health benefits to cultivating a new mindset of optimism.
“Dugnad is a deeply ingrained social norm in Norway where everybody helps out for the common good. This belief emphasizes collective effort and collaboration to achieve shared goals. In the context of optimism, Dugnad promotes a sense of community spirit, mutual support, and the belief that working together can lead to positive outcomes. By engaging in Dugnad activities, individuals in Norway contribute to a culture of optimism by demonstrating their willingness to participate and contribute towards shared objectives.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6901638/
“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 analyzed 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.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2894461/
“Optimistic women are less likely to show progression of carotid disease in mid-life than are pessimists.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15385685/
I sincerely hope this blog post has provided you with some new information about the science of optimism and how it can benefit your wellbeing. We wish you peace!