Why Optimism is Kind of a Big Deal (Part 1)
The basic premise underlying most modern-day psychotherapies is that the way people think is critical to how well they live. A new landmark study suggests that the way people think may also be critical to how long they live.
What is optimism? It’s an outlook on life that includes a mix of positive and future-oriented thinking, feelings of hope, goal-driven behavior, and confidence.
We have known for a while that optimism is linked to happiness. We know that people who attribute the good things in their life to something they can control also tend to assume that everything will work out.
What else do we know about optimistic people? They tend to set goals, feel confident in their ability to achieve them, report greater levels of happiness and contentment, are healthier, and tend to live longer and lead more satisfying lives.
But don’t worry, glass half-emptiers – although optimism is partly inherited, thinking like an optimist is a skill you can learn.
“The basis of optimism does not lie in positive phrases or images of victory, but in the way you think about causes.” -Martin Seligman
Dr. Seligman is widely considered to be the founder of positive psychology. This new-ish branch of psychology examines the qualities of human experience that make “life worth living.” For a long time in clinical psychology, we operated under the assumption that if we treated the sadness, what was left would be happiness. That happy is the default human state. Wrong. As it turns out, happiness and other positive emotions – think: gratitude, delight, awe – can be learned and practiced. You can actually get better at being happy over time, but you’ll probably have to work at it.
This is the crux of the work done in the “thought editing” phase of cognitive-behavior therapy.
How? You ask. Step-by-step.
Step 1: You become aware of your thoughts
Step 2: You track your thoughts
Step 3: You identify opportunities for changing your thoughts
Step 4: You begin thought editing – writing them down and rewording them in a way that preserves their accuracy and believability but is more helpful and productive
Step 5: You apply new thoughts – you put them into practice in real-time – until they become a habit
Step 6: Repeat and revise as necessary
