![]() Just like most other psychological characteristics, nature (genetics and biology) and nurture (your surroundings) both contribute to dispositional optimism, says Segerstrom.Įxperts aren’t exactly sure how big of a role genetics play in optimism. Also called optimistic bias, unrealistic optimism refers to the way that we tend to expect good things to happen to us more often and bad things to happen less often than they do to others, explains Dr. Unrealistic OptimismĪt times, feeling hopeful about the future is part of a thought pattern that isn’t entirely logical - this is known as unrealistic optimism. And those with higher dispositional optimism are more likely to engage in explanatory optimism. ![]() Someone with low explanatory optimism will say their acceptance was just a lucky fluke, she adds.Įxplanatory optimism differs from dispositional optimism because explanatory optimism is a thinking pattern rather than a part of your personality - in other words, it’s a habit that can change through deliberate practice. On the flip side, you think bad things that happen to you aren’t necessarily your fault and won’t inevitably repeat.įor example, Trudel-Fitzgerald says that someone with high explanatory optimism who gets into grad school will attribute their good fortune to hard work and feel it bodes well for future career success. If you have high explanatory optimism, you’ll take good things that happen to you personally and feel confident they’ll keep happening, she says. Like the name suggests, this type of optimism has to do with how you explain why certain things happen to you, says Trudel-Fitzgerald. ![]() “As we go through life, through ups and downs, we’ll come back to our own level of optimism.” 2. “That means we all have a set point,” says Trudel-Fitzgerald. Unlike happiness and other emotions that ebb and flow throughout the day, dispositional optimism is essentially a personality trait and - unless you intentionally work at it - is mostly stable over time. Later on, as you go through your journal entries, you would have accumulated a list of things that bring positivity into your life.When people with high dispositional optimism think about the future, they recognize they may face challenges, but ultimately believe they’ll figure things out, adds Trudel-Fitzgerald. They can be very small, as long as you are able to find a source of gratitude in them. Each day, record 3 things you’re grateful for. One of the best ways to cultivate gratitude is by using a journal or some form. Gratitude is essential when you want to be happy and attract good things into your life. Happiness is more of a mental state than a goal - we don’t pursue happiness, we live it. It could be a friendly ‘hello’ from the mailman or a kind gesture from a coworker. Although setting large life goals can be very productive, life is filled with simple pleasures. Instead of obsessing over reaching your big, final goal, try to enjoy the steps towards it. Part of the reason why people end up feeling pessimistic about their future is our constant desire for major achievements. Whatever the case may be, make sure you stress upon the positives. Perhaps your experience was a valuable life lesson, or maybe it paved the way to a better alternative. Reframing is all about reinterpreting your past and present experiences. There’s at least a tiny fragment of positivity, in every bad situation. If you’d like to learn how to become an optimist, you might benefit from another set of articles we have prepared. You see all the ways in which you may fail and may easily engage in self-defeating behaviors. Pessimism, on the other hand, creates barriers, by forcing you down a path of negativity. That may be improving your mental health, building better relationships, your physical image, a hobby, etc. It is a helpful attitude towards life, oneself, and others, because it allows you to consider all the ways in which you can be successful, in whatever you have taken up. Optimism is not blind faith, but rather the ability to be hopeful about the future, and to channel your own capabilities, towards building a brighter future for yourself. Pessimistic attitudes may be keeping you stuck and feeling miserable, so even though it may be challenging, transforming them is well worth the work. However, what is crucial to remember is that, as an adult, you have full control over your own life and way of thinking, so you can change your pessimistic attitudes. Our beliefs and attitudes have been influenced by a number of factors, such as rearing, experience, and interpersonal relationships. It is well-known that people who experience depression have pessimistic attitudes towards life, others and themselves.
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