This literature review set out to discover the correlational direction between Optimism and PWB. Optimism is defined as, a general expectancy that the future holds more positive than negative events (Scheier & Carver, 1985; Scheier, Carver & Bridges, 1994). Psychological well-being is conceptualised as the subjective quality of one’s life (Schweizer, Beck-Seyffer & Schneider, 1999), it comprises of six core concepts: Self-acceptance; Positive relations with others; Autonomy; Environmental mastery; Purpose in life and Personal growth (Ryff, 1989).
PWB is a concept worthy of study as previous literature has linked it to eudemonic happiness and optimal living (Ryff & Singer, 2008), as well as lower mortality in both healthy and disease populations (Chida & Steptoe, 2008) and lower risk of cardiovascular disease in elderly women (Ryff, Singer & Love, 2004). Previous research has linked to Optimism to PWB in multiple domains (Scheier & Carver, 1992; Scheier, Carver & Bridges, 2001) in both health related and non-health related populations. This review will evaluate relevant literature describing a link between Optimism and PWB in cancer, university and workplace populations. The effectiveness of an Optimism intervention and its potential application in a clinical setting will also be discussed. Cancer patients are a unique population that suffer immense life challenges, therefore research to improve PWB in this area is a worthy pursuit. Previous research done by Pinquart,
In the words of Winston Churchill, "The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." When we are optimistic that we can get a job done, or that we can find a cure for a disease, we are more motivated, and we work harder. A scientist who is pessimistic that they will never find a cure for a specific disease will have a mental mind block against finding a cure for a disease, making it considerably harder for them to find a cure. However, a scientist who is optimistic about finding a cure for a disease will be motivated and more focused on their dedication to discovering a cure for a disease such as cancer. When you are optimistic, you are more motivated, and when you are motivated, you are more productive, consequently making optimism a particularly important priority in everyday
In the same way that hope has colored the past, optimism and positive thinking has the ability to affect present situations. When enduring struggles or facing fears, hope can provide feelings of comfort. It can be used as a coping mechanism. Maya Angelou relates a tone of satisfaction when she weighs the conditions of her life
Notwithstanding the numerous advantages of pessimism, proven by studies, society continues to condemn it. This is particularly due to the fact that optimism is viewed as more superior, compared to pessimism. Author, Jon Gordon, reports, “‘Whether we feed ourselves each day with negative fuel or positive fuel … our optimism has a big impact on our day’” (Gordon). Gordon conveys the fact that, ultimately, optimism determines success, not pessimism. Additionally, Adam Sinicki, a psychology graduate, comments that remaining optimistic during strenuous times will help alleviate the situation because an individual is believing that matters will only mend (Sinicki). While there may be research to support these claims, the truth is, they fail to shed
An article written by Kendra Cherry states, “By nurturing positive emotions, even in the face of terrible events, people can reap both short-term and long-term rewards, including managing stress levels, lessening depression, and building coping skills that will serve them well in the future” (Cherry). Optimism has allowed for people to deal with conflicts in a healthy way. Neuroscientist Tali Sharot in her book The Science of Optimism: Why We’re Hard-Wired for Hope argues that optimism provides an adaptive advantage. According to her, “Expecting our future to be good reduces stress and anxiety, which is good for our health. Researchers studying heart attack patients have found that optimists were more likely than nonoptimistic patients to take vitamins, eat low-fat diets, and exercise, thereby reducing their overall coronary risk” (Popova). Dealing with conflicts positively is better for your health and it decreases bad health
In this Ted Talk cognitive neuroscientist Tali Sharot shared with us the concept of optimism bias and the research that she has been doing on the very topic. She spoke about it as being an illusion. Her description of optimism bias is that we tend to think we will have more positive things happen in our life than bad one. We overestimate the good and underestimate the bad. Optimism bias is something that people throughout the world experience from young to old people. She gave marriage as an example of this kind of bias and stated that forty percent of people that get married will get a divorce but people who just got married will say that there it is unlikely they will end up divorcing. Despite the facts people
“Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive good things, and people will be drawn to you.” Mary Lou Retton says, driving home a topic brushed by schools and parents. Happiness is something that everyone strives for and without a goal so large many things would be completely meaningless. To some people happiness is an amazing house with cars and money but to others, happiness is a loving, healthy family, a roof over their heads with clothes and food. When a large figure in society or even a community shows their beliefs through examples, it is hard not to follow or at least be interested. When something interesting is going on with hands on parts, or even just a couple jokes it makes a big difference.
In addition, this study hypothesized that if one mediated the effect of optimism on health outcomes by removing the effect of a person’s affectivity inclination, negative or positive, that optimism would not be shown as the correlation variable. Rather the authors hypothesized,
Cambridge Dictionary (2016) defines Optimism as “the quality of being full of hope and emphasizing the good parts of a situation, or a belief that something good will happen” Cambridge Dictionary, 2016. To me, being optimistic can help any situation. For example, I work around 25 hours per week whilst studying full time, which results in me being stressed. Having a more positive behaviour towards my studies and work has helped me immensely with reducing my stress levels. Being a student, it can be very hard to deal with getting bad feedback or not finding the resources you need to complete a great assignment. I use my optimism to
While being happy is an important aspect of life, it is not the only emotion one should experience. A person that is happy tends to be more optimistic, but does this optimism truly help him or her? In the article, “Don’t Worry. Be Gloomy.,” Susan David brings to the
Michael Jordan once said, "Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it." This quote is a quality example of being optimistic. I look at this quote and see, if anyone is ever negative and doubtful of an idea or a challenge, they should rethink they're situation, look at the positive side of it and conquer their challenge. There are many fancy, lengthy definitions to describe optimism, but it is very simple. Being optimistic is being positive. Simple as that people.
Hopefulness is an example of deduction in which great occasions are clarified by components that are inside, changeless, and inescapable, while awful occasions are clarified by variables that are outside, brief, and constrained in extension. This identity style yields an all the more fulfilling life as well as an existence with less probability of misery as an aftereffect of either the bothers of day by day living or real life occasions.
Researchers show that cheerfulness outlook extends life by reducing fewer long-term health concerns.A person achieves this by hanging around with happy people, meditating, applying stress-management to boost
Theories of optimism include dispositional models, and models of explanatory style. Methods to measure optimism have been developed within both theoretical systems, such as various forms of the Life Orientation Test, for the original definition of optimism, or the Attributional Style Questionnaire designed to test optimism in terms of explanatory style.
Hope and optimism are grouped together in terms of definition. (Seligman, 1994) Being optimistic has several benefits. Studies show that optimism has decreased death rates in patients with terminal diseases. (Childa & Steptoe, 2008) High optimism comes from positive health. Optimism also makes things easier for older adults when it comes to making life long decisions. (Sorenson, 2013) An advantage of optimism is the power of positive thinking, meaning being able to go without having negative thoughts. Those thoughts are overruled. “People who are optimistic are more committed to their goals, are more successful in achieving their goals, are more satisfied with their lives, and have better mental and physical health when compared to pessimistic people” (Carver, Scheir & Segerstrom, 2010) Living the optimistic lifestyle also benefits when it comes to socializing with others. Optimistic
Optimistic and pessimistic attitudes constantly affect the outcome of people's lives. In my life, I try to keep an optimistic attitude about the things I do because I know it will help lead me to more desirable ends. There have been many situations in which optimism has helped me through difficult times. Two areas in particular have provided me optimistic experiences: athletics