Optimism, Polyannaism, seeing the glass as half full or being optimistic in its broadest definition; It directly affects your mood, your brain and even your physical health. So, is it possible to be an optimistic person even under the most difficult conditions? Let’s see the effects of being optimistic in the light of the studies on this subject.
No matter where you live in the world, life is really hard for everyone, you have to accept that. Moreover, even if you were born into a wealthy family, life may not be rosy for you. Well, even in the middle of all this mess Is it possible to be an optimistic person? To answer this question, the first thing we need to know is what optimism is and how it affects us.
When we think of people who are optimists, Polyannaists, and briefly optimistic people who see the glass half-full, we think that these people always walk around radiating joy. However to be optimistic, It doesn’t mean to be happy. to the problems be optimistic It will positively affect both your mood, your brain and your physical health. Let’s take a closer look at the details.
What is it to see the glass half full?
In our culture, we describe it with the phrase “seeing the glass half full”. state of optimism While it is called optimism in science, it can also take names such as Polyannaism among the people. at first glance describing a happy person walking around with hearts out of their eyes Optimism is actually not so much associated with happiness.
As an associate professor at the University of Texas, Dr. Aparna Iyer; that optimistic people accept bad events and blame themselves less for bad outcomes says. According to Iyer, optimistic people believe that the bad situation they are in is temporary and that they will experience much better things in the future.
therapist Kimberly Hershenson, co-author of Psychology Today; that people who think positively do not ignore life’s difficulties, only approaching challenges in a more productive way says. According to Hershenson, if you create an optimistic life vision for yourself, you will establish much healthier relationships, cope with life more easily, and get rid of stress-related ailments.
How can you be optimistic?
The optimistic mood we say, even if it’s a pill and we drink it, is a situation that is caused by genetic and environmental factors. Psychotherapist Karol Ward, one of the authors of Psychology Today, says it’s okay to be optimistic, according to research. 25% hereditary He says he has a family, that is. Adding that environmental factors should not be forgotten, Ward says that even a born pessimist can turn into an optimistic person in a loving family with a good socioeconomic status.
Leah Weiss of Stanford University gives the gospel and says many people learn about optimism later, even He says he can be trained on this. Speaking to Forbes magazine, life coach Caroline Castrillon offers 5 key goals that you should implement in every aspect of your life so that you can train yourself to be optimistic;
- Focus on the good things you have.
- Surround yourself with optimistic people.
- When there is a problem, create win-win situations that satisfy both sides.
- Be grateful for what you have.
- Focus on different possibilities, not just one point.
Being optimistic increases your IQ:
Strange but true. As a person who only sees the glass half full, it is possible to increase your IQ level, which indicates the intelligence level of the person. Not less, We are talking about an increase of exactly 13 points. If you are asking how this is happening, let’s go to the presidential race in the United States and listen to Andrew Yang, one of the Democratic Party candidates.
Andrew Yang announced that he will give a thousand dollars a month to all citizens as an election promise. Its purpose was not only to collect votes, but to enable people to work much more efficiently with this money. This theory was based on a previous study. Scientists, they took two IQ tests on the same farmers. One of the tests was done before the harvest and the other after the harvest. The results were surprising.
The IQ level of the farmers, who had financial concerns before the harvest, increased by exactly 13 points because they did not have financial concerns after the harvest. well When the stress level decreased, the IQ level rose. At this point, the only problem of people was not money, but stress. As a pessimistic person, if you accept the current situation instead of constantly worrying about your financial situation, your stress level will return to normal. That’s what optimism is.
Andrew Yang didn’t get elected, or even the Democratic presidential nominee, but he taught us all something. Thinking long and hard about your financial worries Being in a pessimistic mood directly affects your brain negatively and even lowers your intelligence level. Financial problems do not disappear when you do not think about it, but when you lock yourself in a vice and constantly think about lack of money, there is not much left of you.
How does being optimistic affect your physical health?
In an article published in the Clinical Psychology Review, we encounter the results of a study on the effects of being optimistic on body health. Accordingly, even if optimistic people live in extraordinarily traumatic conditions and even even if they end up in troubling medical conditions They become much stronger physically and mentally.
Again, similar research reveals that optimistic people have much better heart health and a stronger immune system. Moreover, these people their relationships are stronger and their income levels are much higher. is happening. Let’s open a parenthesis at this point; These people are not optimistic because they already have good things, they have good things because they are optimistic.
In a study by the Harvard School of Public, optimistic women were observed for 8 years. As a result, these women suffer from one of the serious diseases such as cancer, heart disease and stroke. 30% less likely to die seen. When you are optimistic, your IQ level increases, your chance of dying from diseases decreases, what else?
Take care of yourself, be optimistic:
People who are unemployed, struggling with financial difficulties, trying to get rid of a disease, that is, suffering. ‘Come on smile!’ It would be silly to say, but we already told you, That’s not being optimistic. Being optimistic starts with accepting the situation you are in. If you think that everything will get worse, you will be unhappy even if everything is not worse.
Turn off the news, remove manipulative people from your life, make a list of good things you have. be thankful for every item on the list, Try to evaluate alternatives that you have never thought of to solve your problem, do some exercise, quit your bad habits. Even if nothing gets better, at least don’t make things worse with your pessimistic mood.
Optimism, Polyannaism, seeing the glass half-full How does being optimistic affect our brain? We answered the question and told you how to be an optimistic person and what you will gain as an optimistic person. You can share your thoughts on the subject in the comments.