...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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...Since I was a child, happiness was always easy for me to achieve. Of course, the fact that I have always been lucky to live the life I do makes being happy easy. It is my optimism, however, that I give the most credit to. My outlook on life is has and always has been one of light hearted positivity. I may very well be the most optimistic person I know. You don’t just have to take my word for it though, allow me to create a mental picture in which my optimism shines in your brain like sun beams do through an open window. Optimism has been my most prominent characteristic since my early childhood years of dirty feet, scabby legs and food stained shirts. I remember looking through the windows in my home on rainy days as the water pitter pattered onto the floor and into puddles. My face showed no signs of distress as I’d squash my nose onto the foggy glass windows peering out into the watery skies. Sure, I would have to wait a little longer before I could go outside to play again, but I did not see this as a reason to fret. After all, when the rain finally ended (and I knew it would because it always did at some point) I would soon be splish splashing in the miniature pools of water that collected in every concave surface of the street and sidewalk. Mud pies would be made out of the rain drenched soils and baked under the once again visible sun, the earthworms would wiggle their way out to play and a magnificent rainbow would stretch across the sky, glittering with all of its majestic...
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...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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...Exploring Optimism Optimism and hope are very important to a person’s overall wellbeing. These components essentially shape how a person looks at life in general. Without hope there is only hopelessness. Have you ever felt completely hopeless? What an empty and depressing feeling it is. Optimism plays directly into that as well. Without optimism there is negativity. I know that some days I feel negative. However, on those days I am simply not happy. How could a person be happy with only negative thoughts? The thoughts we have shape the feelings we have in day to day life. So automatically if our thoughts dwell on negative things so do our feelings. This is not good for a person’s wellbeing. While we can’t feel happy all of the time it is important to have an overall optimistic attitude. Because life is going to throw things at us and it’s how we handle it that determines who we are and how strong we are as people. When we have hope we realize that even though things are going wrong now they can get better and they will. I think the way optimism can be harmful is when it is taken too far and real problems are ignored. As I said, life will throw things at you. Things can’t always be wonderful. So it is also not healthy to ignore or overlook issues for the sake of being happy. It is dealing with the issues and coming out hopeful in spite of them that...
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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 Robin C. Hieronymus PSY 220 7/30/2010 William Goodwin Optimism and Health The affects of optimism on psychological and physical health. Optimism is the tendency to look on the brighter side of things or to expect and see the best in all things. Optimism can be linked to health as stress can cause damage to a person inside and out. Thinking positively will help you be happier, healthier and things will most likely turn out better for you as well. There are two independent types of optimism: dispositional optimism, which is similar to other personality traits, and explanatory optimism, which affects an individual's interpretation of success and failure. Individuals with high scores on optimism have better health outcomes, and when they are confronted with life-threatening illnesses, they will cope with it in a better, healthier way. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (C.B.T.) offers one potential intervention that may or may not increase a person's level of optimism with a corresponding increase in health. People who learn to maintain an optimistic attitude may not only avoid depression, they may actually improve their physical health, according to a controlled study by the University of Pennsylvania's Martin Seligman, Ph.D., and Gregory Buchanan, Ph.D (Discovery Communications, LLC., 2010). I know I have a lot of depression and a personality disorder as well, but I am definitely a pessimist, but would love to become more optimistic so that I can become...
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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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...Present is Now, Optimism is How I have cried for the world's sorrows, laughed at its joys and been swept away by its endless beauty. I have touched brisk mountain tops and paced tranquil ocean floors. I have witnessed the strength of countless men and women and become part of communities I did not know existed. I fell in love with life and humanity. All this because I jumped. In Hope Against Hope: Three Schools, One City, and the Struggle to Educate America’s Children by Sarah Carr, Geraldlynn says, “I’m not going to go to college as soon as I get out of high school… It’s gonna be a long four years, I want a year off” (Carr 216). The Dillard student guide, Bianca, responded to Geraldlynn’s remark with concern. My mother reacted similarly when she discovered that I wanted to postpone my matriculation into Tulane. Many educators tout taking a gap year, saying that kids who step off after high school to work, travel, volunteer or explore other interests are more mature when they arrive at college and more engaged in their education going forward. Like Geraldlynn, the thought of four more years of arduous classes and strenuous exams seemed unappealing to me. I believe that 18 is an ideal age to explore the world, reflect on personal goals, and prepare to take the next purposeful step in life. Ultimately I did not end up taking a gap year, however, it will be a long-lasting regret. After reading Geraldlynn’s comment about delaying college, I reminisced to the time ...
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...RESEARCH PAPER Phillis Wheatley's work presents an excellent example of the triumph of optimism over experience. Who is Phillis Wheatley? That is what I asked myself upon learning of a reading assignment. We were assigned to read Phillis Wheatley’s poem “On being brought from Africa to America”. Prior to reading the poem I decided to research the life of Phillis Wheatley. I did this so that I could have a better understanding of what I was about to read. This is why I imagine one of her poems was chosen for reading in our Stories of Immigration course. In the next few sentences I will share with you some of Wheatley’s experience in America. You will discover some of the hardships Wheatley faced. I ask that as you read and think of the experiences that are being described, place yourself in Wheatley’s shoes. What would you do? How would you feel? Would you choose to live a life of optimism or pessimism? Phillis Wheatley was kidnapped at a young age; stripped from the arms of her mother, taken away from the only land that she knew. We all have heard of the dreadful voyage from the west coast of Africa to the eastern American coastlines. Upon landing, Phillis took an immensely negative experience and was able to find something good out of the ordeal. I am not so sure that I would have been able to do or see the sun shine through the rain as Phillis was able to. I am close to my parents and Lord knows how much I love and need my mom. Imagine the thought of no longer...
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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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...Jordan Anderson GS2745W – 1/07/2015 02_A2 – Optimism A. My girlfriend/boyfriend left me. Often times when there is a breakup, people will blame it on something the other person did or has done. It’s harder to point the finger at one’s self and look in the mirror and ask what could have I done better. Though you may be feeling down about the break up, take a look at yourself and find ways to make yourself better. This will lead to you feeling better about yourself and will likely make you more attractive to the opposite sex. B. I was late with my rent and may lose my apartment. Considering that you were late with your rent most likely means that you were not paying close enough attention to your pocket book and planning for future expenses. This would provide a great opportunity to sit down, consider your income and then draw up a budget that will allow for this type of thing to never happen again. C. My car needs to be repaired. Similar to the one above, this would be an added expense. However you have to look at it in a way of an investment. I was taught the rule of 10’s. Plan your actions based on reactions 10 minutes from now, 10 months from now and 10 years from now. If you repair your car now, yes you will not have as much money today, however you will be able to get to work having a reliable means of transportation thus making your investment 10 months from now well worth the expense. D. My hours were cut at work. Instantly people will consider...
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...Optimism is being positive about everything at all times, well that is just my opinion and it seems as if oxford dictionary is in accordance with my opinion or I should say I am in accordance with their definition as oxford dictionary defines optimism as hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something. Now that we are clear on what optimism is let us talk about three great men who give honor to the definition of the word optimism. These three great men are optimistic people that you might just know. Thomas Alva Edison the inventor of the light bulb. Steve Paul Jobs the pioneer of the personal computer revolution and the last person that I will talk about is non-other that Barrack Hussein Obama president of the United States of America. Thomas Alba Edison is one of the most optimistic persons that I have ever know about, some of us might not even know who the guy is but even today we are to thank him for his great contribution to the world. In December 1879, Edison decided to invent the light bulb. However he failed the first time, the second time, the third time and it will not make sense for me to mention every time he failed as I would have to mention his 2000 failures or as I would say his 2000 obstacles. He failed to invent the light bulb 2000 times and he just kept trying and saying in his mind that it’s all going to work out for good because that’s how optimistic people think. So if Thomas Edison wasn’t optimistic we would probably still depend...
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...Seligman developed learned optimism, the idea that a talent for joy, like any other, can be educated. This concept through his study of learned helplessness is the idea that a certain re-occurring negative event is out of the person's control. He noticed that while some subjects blamed themselves for negative outcomes, others blamed the experiment for setting them up to fail. So what is it that keeps some people from ever becoming helpless? The answer is optimism. The article Can Positive Thinking Be Negative? Scott O. Lilienfeld and Hal Arkowitz explain the disadvantages of positive psychology and optimism. However, anyone can learn optimism. The difference between optimists and pessimists is in how they view failures and successes. Would...
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