With the everyday life full of stress and negativity, it becomes harder to smile and be optimistic. However, optimism has benefits in health and social relationship that can change a person’s life.
According to an expert, optimistic thinking is due to effective stress management. Psychologist and author, Suzanne Segerstrom said that optimism is not just about feeling positive but about being motivated and persistent.
Half-full or half-empty
Is the glass half-empty or half-full? It is a simple test to see if a person is optimistic or pessimistic. According to Martin Seligman, the two ways (optimistic and pessimistic) of thinking and reacting to situations are called habits of thinking.
Pessimistic people tend to be easily depressed, have poorer health, and easily give up once faced to difficult challenges. They often run from their problems and are prone to depression.
On the other hand, optimistic people are better in school, work, and other activities. They are healthier and happier in life because of what Seligman calls ‘incredible power of positive thinking.’
Optimism changes everything
Optimism is not just thinking positively. Optimism is positively facing any situations, bad or good, and thinking that it is an opportunity to learn and grow.
Here are some things that people can benefit from just by being optimistic.
1. Optimism reduces stress
Based on the researches, optimistic people are better in stress management than pessimistic people because optimists believe in their selves and their abilities. Optimistic people look on the positive side in every situation and view events as challenges to be better.
Since they focus on good things of the situation, optimists use the most effective solution to every problem. If they face any setbacks, they think that those are things to be overcome.
2. Positive people are healthier
According to studies in the year 2002, optimistic people have a healthy life than people who are not. They practice healthy living and usually avoid vices.
The studies show that optimists exercise more, eat vegetables and fruits often, and get enough sleep and rest. They also have a better quality of sleep than pessimistic people.
Since they believe that life is beautiful, they take good care of their selves as part of promoting healthy living and healthier life. Also, optimism leads to a lower rate of depression and a longer life span of a person.
Studies confirm that optimists have more friends than pessimistic people. They have a stronger relationship with their friends and other people than pessimists. They can better communicate and manage their relationship than other people.
As a result, they receive greater support (mentally and emotionally) than pessimistic people. Since people tend to like those with a positive attitude, optimists are often favor than the pessimist ones.
Have a positive life
Optimism is a way of thinking. Since people have the power to think, they can choose to either look at the positive side of life or in the negative one. People can decide if they see a glass of water, either half-full or half-empty.
However, it is better to think positively and live looking at the beautiful side of everything. It can help to reduce stress, live healthier, and have a better relationship with other people.
Like what Sir Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
Source: Life Optimizer