...Individual: Optimism and Health Dana Grant PSY/220 June 29, 2014 Dr. Shanda Smith There have been many studies carried out about the effectiveness of optimism as a psychological occurrence but the one I choose to review is based on a study done in my own hometown of Pittsburgh, PA in addition to the University of Miami. Many tests and research have been done on people to see if optimism does in fact have an effect on psychological and physical health. The article is called “Self‐Regulation Processes and Health: The Importance of Optimism and Goal Adjustment”. The purpose of their study was to explore the implications of self-regulatory models of human action for understanding how people deal with threats to their health and well-being, as well as how goal setting has an impact on their optimism. The authors, Rasmussen, Wrosch, Scheier, and Carver, theorized the disposition towards optimism in their studies, called “dispositional optimism”, considering it a trait of equilibrated personality, in time and in various situations, that influences the way in which individuals come to terms with present, past, and future events in life. Since optimistic individuals are generally positive about everyday events in daily life, they found a connection between optimism and physical and mental well-being. Optimistic individuals were more inclined to use appropriate coping strategies and have a more resilient attitude to stress. When dealing with health issues, those of an optimistic...
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...Optimism and Health Lump E. Mayberry III PSY/220 - POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY: WHAT'S RIGHT WITH ME Instructor: Alan Coffin February 9, 2014 Optimism and Health Optimism is easily described as an attitude or point of view that allows individuals to view their life experiences in a positive fashion. Many perceive optimism as a valuable quality or characteristic to have when dealing with everyday life situations whether they are positive or negative. Researchers have gone a step further in suggesting the presence of optimism may also have positive effects on both physical and psychological health. Optimists expect good things to happen to them and this positive attitude tends to have positive effects on not only their mental process but also their physical well-being. According to Rasmussen, Scheier, and Greenhouse (2009) optimism plays a significant role in physical health. The majority of their studies related to this research revealed that optimists as compared to pessimists tended to show lower levels of pain and physical handicaps. While the extent of the link between optimism and physical health still seems to be somewhat gray area, it is important to understand that a multitude of studies conducted under Rasmussen, Scheier, and Greenhouse’s research have shown the link does exist. These studies have varied in method conducted, factors, participants, and methods of analyzing results so they have covered just about every possibility and situation. According to one study...
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...Optimism and Health Paper The article I read dealt with the affects optimism had on coronary artery bypass patients. The average age of the 51 patients used was 48.5 years and they were all men. It set out to prove whether patients who were optimist recovered both physically and psychologically after surgery. To be able to determine those that were optimistic and those that were pessimistic, the researchers had the patients answers questions. The questions were asked six to eight days prior to the surgery. They were question concerning how the patient felt about the surgery, how soon the expected to be back to normal, and what their expectations were. These types of questions were what the researchers used to judge those who were optimistic. The optimist felt good about the surgery and expected a shorter recovery time the pessimist anticipated. The actual physical health of the patients was also documented by the researches. That information was obtained through the patients’ doctors. The second stage of the research question the patients one week after the surgery. They were asked several questions again, this time concerning how they were feeling physically and psychologically. Optimistic patient s felt better in both areas. Pessimist showed a much lower n rate of satisfactory feelings. The researchers also had the doctors answer questions regarding the true physical well being of the patients. Surprisingly, optimists showed better signs of recovery then the pessimist did...
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...Optimism and Health Paper Psy/220 The word “optimism” is a favorable type of attitude about events and/or conditions in life. Some people believe that having an optimistic view of life situations results in positive outcomes. Where this is true in a way, there can still be negative outcomes as well. Optimism can be positive as long as it is not excessive or negative. Excessive optimism can have a harmful effect on the mind and body. There has been many tests done on people to find out the results of the effect of optimism physically and psychologically. According to the article that I researched about the effects of optimism on the body and mind suggested that most people whom have an optimistic attitude most likely engage themselves in positive healthy actions, such as: not drinking alcoholic beverages, exercising, not smoking, taking vitamins, drinking plenty of water, and many other benafical healthy actions. There have been studies on optimistic people having less chances of getting sick or having other medical problems compared to a pessimistic person, according to the Encyclopedia of Health and Behavior Management (2004). Studies have shown that while people are doing daily activities an optimistic person’s blood pressure does not elevate like a pessimists does. I am sure this result comes from one expecting the best and someone else anticipating the worst the whole time they are doing their daily things. There was another study that showed that a person with an...
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...Optimism and Health Paper PSY 220 January 13, 2013 Optimism and Health Paper Those who are optimistic “anticipate the best possible outcome (Merriam-Webster, 2009).” Optimistic people have a unique approach to their life and its circumstances. Studies have been done to see if optimism results in improved psychological wellbeing and improved health. The cliché is that optimists see a glasses half-full rather than seeing it as half-empty. An optimist will always look for the positive in any situation. They are willing to find something good about circumstances that others may shy away from. I will consider here some ways in which optimism can improve psychological and physical health and wellbeing. Article One Do Dispositional Pessimism and Optimism Predict Ambulatory Blood Pressure during Schooldays and Nights in Adolescents is the first article. The relationship between high pessimism (versus low optimism) and physical health are examined here. This article holds that “low optimism and high pessimism were equally strongly and independently correlated with anxiety, anger, and depression, but high optimism predicted better self-rated physical health and less frequent self-reported doctor visits, whereas high pessimism predicted more frequent self-reports of gastrointestinal problems and aches.” The relationship was examined in this study between ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) and the effects of both optimism and pessimism. 217 participants (all healthy adolescents,...
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...Is the glass half-empty or half-full? An age old question that discovers how one views the world. Many people see the glass half empty, but should they see it as half-full? Everyone faces some sort of conflict, and they approach it in many different ways. Some methods work better than others, but one way has the most beneficial results. Facing conflict with optimism inspires others, has health benefits, and makes it easier for the person to deal with the problem. Having an optimistic attitude inspires others. There are many resources that show having a hopeful attitude makes people around them feel more comfortable. Winston Churchill wrote a speech convincing the citizens of Great Britain that they needed to remain confident in him; and believe...
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...Optimism 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 happy personality and a positive outlook on life. If an individual has a negative outlook on life or always thinks or expects the worst possible outcomes in every situation, they are generally referred to as pessimists. According to my textbook, optimists seem to cope better with stressful events and even live longer than pessimists (Bolt, M. 2004). In my opinion, being an optimistic person is healthier when it comes to physical well-being as well as psychological well-being and seems to be well worth it in the end. According to the textbook, when compared to pessimists, optimists make fewer visits to the doctor, receive better ratings of general health from their physicians, have stronger immune system functioning, and show faster rehabilitation from major surgery (Bolt, M. 2004). With this said, an optimistic lifestyle should at least be attempted. Optimism can affect blood pressure, heart disease, even cardiac patients. An article in the Harvard Men’s Health Watch (Vol....
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... Optimism Can you image how to live without all four limbs? You cannot eat with your hands, you cannot hug with your arms, you cannot jump with your legs, and you cannot walk with your feet! That is horrible! With the absence of all four limbs, it seems that you can do nothing except waiting to die. Actually, this awful thing is happened to a boy named Nick Vujicic, and if you think his life sucks then you are totally wrong! Nick was an Australian Christian evangelist who born with the absence of all four limbs. When Nick was born, the doctors who delivered him were shocked, the nurses were cried, and even his mother felt very hard to accept him. Although life is extremely unfair to him, he still has a wonderful life with his spirits of optimism. When Nick was a child, he always got laughed at other children because of his defects. Thanks to his parents, they taught Nick using an optimism, positive attitude to face everything, and he did it. He has tried everything he could to experience a normal life, he plays sports, like swimming, surfing, diving, playing golf and so on. Furthermore, Nick graduated from Griffith University with double majors when was 21 years old. He also married a beautiful woman. Moreover, he has given speeches around the world to encourage people live with optimistic, positive, passion, and enthusiasm. Nick has such a wonderful life which beyonds everyone’s expectations. His story tells us the power of optimism! Optimism is a mental attitude...
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...longitudinal study of lst-year university student adjustment examined the effects of academic self-efficacy and optimism on students' academic performance, stress, health, and commitment to remain in school. Predictor variables (high school grade-point average, academic self-efficacy, and optimism) and moderator variables (academic expectations and self-perceived coping ability) were measured at the end of the first academic quarter and were related to classroom performance, personal adjustment, stress, and health, measured at the end of the school year. Academic self-efficacy and optimism were strongly related to performance and adjustment, both directly on academic performance and indirectly through expectations and coping perceptions (challenge-threat evaluations) on classroom performance, stress, health, and overall satisfaction and commitment to remain in school. Observed relationships corresponded closely to the hypothesized model. Change can be unsettling. The transition from high school to college can place significant demands on young adults (Tinto, 1982,1993). College life can be demanding and stressful for a new student (Noel, Levitz, & Saluri, 1985) and requires higher levels of independence, initiative, and self-regulation (Bryde & Milburn, 1990). It is the thesis of this article that confidence in one's relevant abilities (i.e., self-efficacy) and optimism play a major role in an individual's successful negotiation of challenging life transitions. We present...
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...which can reduce the risk of stress. The mind and the body work together to promote health, because positive thinking helps to reduce stress, which is the cause of many health issues. Strong social support also helps to ease the stress of pain and sickness and make coping easier. The material will address Aunt Phyllis situation and provide information as it relates to the effect of her attitude on her illness and the benefits of social support. It will discuss, hardiness, positivity and optimism as apply to her and how these skills can help her to cope with her illness. Evidence –based intervention will be recommended for intervention. Effects of Attitude Attitude is a feeling of like or dislike towards something to the extent that it affects behavior. According to McLeod (2009, par. 1), “Attitude is a relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings and behavioral tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups, events, or symbols.” It has three components which are affective, behavioral, and cognitive. The affective component deals with the feelings of the individual, for example, he or she does not like heights and is scared of it. So the fear influences the persons behavior and he or she will not climb a ladder. The cognitive component is the person’s belief that ladders are dangerous and he or she will fall from it (McLeod, 2009). Attitude plays an important role in the health of an individual and can be either positive or negative. It is important to identify...
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...In psychology, personality traits could be explained from many aspects, and one of them describes personality traits as categorizations of people’s particular characteristics (Burger, 1997) while others hold opposite ideas that personalities are more unique and different for each individual depending on his or her peculiar life experience. The former idea relates itself to nomothetic approach, which is a quantitative approach that studies personalities that people share in common to find out a general law that applies to everyone. The nomothetic approach suggests that people show universal traits and that personality traits are consistent within humans. Gordan Allport first brought up this approach to understand personality in 1930s, and after that, many theories has been conducted from it. Individual’s personality indicates behaviour, thus the accuracy of the indication of individual’s personality and behaviour in nomothetic approach decides the validity and effectiveness of the approach. Thus the statement that “ the nomothetic approach is the most effective way to understand an individual’s personality” can be critically evaluated by testing the validity of predictions of the theories. As mentioned above, there are two commonly accepted approaches to understand individual’s personality. The idea that people’s personalities are unique brings the idiographic approach that investigates individuals in personal and in-depth details. According to idiographic approach, each person’s...
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...Positivity The word Optimism comes from the Latin word optimus, which means "best". Optimists always look for the best in people and in situations. They also expect every thing to go well, but even if something bad happens, an optimist can still see the positive side. However, those aren't the only advantages to being an optimist. Today, I'm going to inform you on how being positive can help better mental health, physical health, and how you can be more optimistic yourself. Many recent studies have shown how being positive helps mental stablility, more specifically, an optimist doesn't have as much stress as a pessimist. Pessimists have little hope and confidence in themselves. For example, If someone had an exam, and they kept thinking negative things, like how bad they were going to do, they would worry about it. Little things such as this add up, and its just adding unnecessary stress to their life. Biologically, an optimist's body responds better to stress. Researchers from the Psychology Department at Concordia University released a study in 2013 that suggested optimists have more stable cortisol levels, which is the stress hormone. This means an optimist can handle their stress better. Because of this, Optimists are also at lower risk for anxiety disorders such as depression. A study called, “A Prospective Study of the Effects of Optimism on Adolescent Health Risks,” published in the February 2011 issue of Pediatrics. Teens with a positive mindset were...
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...Introduction Pessimism and optimism, opposing poles of human behavioural tendencies, have major impact on quality of lives of individuals. The aim of this essay is to demonstrate the pessimism and its impacts by analyzing various researches, books and papers that were written in this field. This paper consists of four parts: Firstly, the concept of pessimism will be evaluated by examining and comparing different definitions and consequences of pessimistic attitude is looked at in the second part. Following this, the bright side of pessimism and the concept of unlearning pessimism would be discussed in the last two parts of this essay. What is pessimism? Pessimism is defined as an anticipation and expectation of bad outcomes in important life domains (Carver, C. S., & Lattie, E. G., 2015). This is the simplest definition of pessimism, however, for someone who had suffered from this “not so pretty” state of mind, pessimism is so much more than that. It is an inseparable shadow which follows you everywhere and tries its best to make your life as miserable as possible. Pessimism is a habit. A very strong habit that would take tremendous amount of energy and dedication to break free. Pessimism is a habit of mind that is acquired largely through negative experiences in life and it often has disastrous consequences such as mood swings, depression, underachievement and even poor physical and mental health. (Seligman, M. E., Reivich, K., Jaycox, L., & Gillham, J.,1995). ...
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...every difficulty.” Many might see optimisms as just wishful thinkers but really, these people are problem solvers who try to improve a situation. The definition of optimistic is “hopeful and confident about the future” so in other words one would be a Pooh Bear and not an Eeyore. Optimisms can take any negative situation and see a positive light in it, no matter how bad it may seem. So, is it really worth being optimistic or to just continue on with life and its negative aspects? Being optimistic, or acting like Pooh Bear, can really be beneficial to ones physical and mental health; cooping better with stress, improve you immunity, increased life span, improved coping skills, reduced risk for death from cardiovascular disease are all befits to thinking positive. By being pessimist, or acting like Eeyore, has the exact opposite effect; poorer mood, less social support, prolonger recovery from stress and illness and less satisfaction with life. Optimism could be one of the most important predictors oh physical and metal life. Positive thinking can even help women deliver healthier babies. A study done by Lobel, Devincent, Kaminer and Meyer in 2000 showed that optimistic mothers deliver healthier and heavier babies. “Women's self-reported experience of the ease or difficulty of the current pregnancy . . . Those who reported having the easiest pregnancies had the highest levels of optimism.” (Meyer.) This study describes shows optimism can have profound...
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...Happiness and Optimism Urwa Zahid BS Applied Psychology Semester 5 Government Post Graduate College for Women Gujranwala Introduction The psychological pursuit of “happiness” is begun in China, India and Greece nearly 2500 years ago with Confucius, Buddha, Socrates and Aristotle. So, we can find very similarities between the inner side of these thinkers and the modern “Science of Happiness”. Happiness is a sense of wellbeing, joy or contentment. When people are successful, safe or lucky they feel happiness. In 1900’s, at the time of beginning as industrialization and urbanization brought many new problems to society, citizens began forming voluntary organizations to address the needs of their communities....
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