Train Your Brain to Be More Optimistic
Should you accept your glass-half-empty
attitude? Certainly not. A positive outlook has been linked to a load of
health benefits, so being more optimistic is definitely worth trying.
In fact, high levels of optimism are associated with higher levels of
happiness and less depression. Some studies also indicate that greater
optimism is associated with a longer life.
The effects of positive thinking go beyond
making people feel better. Taking an optimistic approach usually allows
people to act in a better way and achieve positive results in times of
adversity.
The effects of optimism on the body
Optimistic people tend to exert more efforts. They are more willing to
give something new a try, or keep working towards a solution.
Pessimistic people, on the other hand, tend to give up easily.
Optimistic people also tend to shrug off stress, according to a 2015
study published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences. Consequently, this
helps decrease their levels of stress hormones like cortisol.
Elevated cortisol levels can cause inflammation which is linked to all
sorts of serious health issues ranging from cancer to depression. So,
it's easy to see how a positive attitude could have big-time health
benefits on an individual.
What to do? Picture yourself as an optimist
Research has linked something called positive imagery with increased
levels of optimism. A 2007 study published in Nature found that thinking
happy thoughts, or imagining positive future outcomes, activates the
part of the brain linked with positive emotion and stress-reduction.
Furthermore, envisioning a happier future can help people disengage from
any bad situations that are happening in the present.
This idea is backed up by research. In fact, based on their analysis of
29 studies and more than 3,330 individuals, Malouff and his colleagues
found that thinking about your best positive self and then creating a
plan for creating that self is the most effective way to increase your
levels of optimism. This idea has also been approved by other experts.
Getting started with positive imagery
So, how do you get started? Start by focusing on the far future,
thinking about the best possible outcomes of your social life, your life
at home and your career. Sit down and for 20 minutes write in detail
about these happy outcomes - what your life would look like, what goals
you would have met and how you would feel about yourself.
Then, just spend five minutes each day imagining that you've achieved
everything you wrote down, without reading what you wrote. Just try to
imagine what your life would look like if all those things came true. Do
this and see your levels of optimism soar.