![]() Yet that still leaves a solid amount of wiggle room for us to develop a more optimistic outlook as adults. Studies show that optimism is about 25 percent inheritable, and then there are other factors that affect our positivity - like socioeconomic status - that are often out of our control. It's hard to be emotionally open and hopeful when that is not being modeled for you by your caretakers.”īut if you recognize yourself as someone who tends to default to the negative, your childhood isn’t completely to blame. But if the home environment is tense and filled with dysfunction, optimism is one of the first things to go. If the atmosphere is relaxed and loving, children blossom even if they innately have a tendency towards anxiety. “From an early age, babies and children pick up the emotional vibes in their homes. Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook.“From my experience, optimism is both a personality trait and a product of our environment,” says Karol Ward, LCSW, a licensed psychotherapist. "It triggers automatic processes that then will make you behave in the desired way." "What do you want for your life? What is it for the next day, for the next week, for the next year? Then imagine that this will happen," says Oettingen. This gives clarity, she says, and helps you to prioritize and strategize. The first step to being more optimistic is thinking about what you really want, says Oettingen. "But you have to fix it and design for the future at the same time." That does take extra energy because it's easier just to focus on the problem at hand, fix it, move on," she says. So how does one use optimism to achieve an end goal in a realistic way? Mascolo says that it takes a concerted effort and requires you to continually look forward to your goals. Dreaming big is great, he says, but you must also take practical steps to turn it into a reality. However, Goldhirsh also points out that "pragmatic idealism" is important. Those who have high expectations usually rise up to meet them, he explains. "People are hungry to see their expectations elevated." When discussing optimism, your "expectations kind of dictate outcomes," he says. "High optimism will predict high effort and success," she says.īen Goldhirsh, CEO of Good Worldwide, reiterates the importance of optimism in accomplishing goals. ![]() The psychology expert says that optimistic people are more likely to invest, act and put effort into achieving whatever it is that they want to get done. ![]() On the other hand, Oettingen describes positive thinking as simply daydreaming about the future and fantasizing. These expectancy judgments are based on past experience, which means that being optimistic takes effort, she explains. "Optimism is defined as expectancy judgments that you can do certain things in the future," she says. "But it does mean that you have an ability to look at a situation and while it might be tough, you're able to see around that corner and see the possibility.versus the difficulty."īeing optimistic goes far deeper than just positive-thinking, says Gabriele Oettingen, a professor of psychology at New York University. "It doesn't mean that you're necessarily shiny and happy at all moments of the day," she says. Liz Mascolo, the business unit director at General Mills, defines optimism as being able to focus on a positive outcome.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |