Optimists Are Happier People
Being an American living abroad, I’ve come to realize just how optimistic Americans are perceived to be. Sometimes being away from your country helps you to understand it better. My American friends seem to bring an optimistic, “you can do it if you work hard!” mentality to even the most difficult situations. I’ve always appreciated this mentality but never realized just how much it was a part of me until I moved away from my country. This kind of thought process can sometimes be seen as a banal way of looking at things. I was questioned why I carry this kind of mentality and if it is actually helpful in any way.
Sometimes I think it comes from my fascination with personal development. Other times I was told it was because I’m American (hence, why I am now wondering if it actually is an “American” thing to do). I started questioning my own thought process. Staying optimistic in negative situations always helped me with my mental health. It also helped me get dreadfully painful, boring work done with the knowledge that on the other side of that, hard work is what you want! Staying optimistic and believing in the good of people also makes me enjoy life more. I like to think that people are inherently good, and I think this makes a difference in how I process and navigate my way through life.
What are the benefits?
Though I believe I’m an optimist by nature and not because of the influence of American culture like I have been told, I decided to keep an open mind to try to find the answers. I looked a bit into what optimism and pessimism actually do for our health and happiness to get to the bottom of this debate. I know from personal experience that sometimes expecting the worst possible outcome can feel like protecting ourselves from the danger of being disappointed, but studies on how pessimism affects the brain have shown that being pessimistic is bad for our health! Whereas optimists report having better self-esteem and even better relationships with others. Optimism has positive impacts on physical health, feelings of happiness and can even protect against heart disease. I consider myself an optimist, but if optimism leads to all of these positive impacts, I definitely want to work even harder at seeing the good in things.
Reading this, I thought that it definitely makes sense! With optimism, the more challenging situations you put yourself in, the more you start to believe in yourself with every success. People who challenge themselves are also typically more confident. Even if they fail, they don’t see their failures as the end of the story but instead as a way to learn! Having optimism on your side can help with multiple areas of life. It’s also refreshing to meet someone who sees the positive side of things. Yes, it’s not possible to always be sunny and bright 24/7. Still, it sure helps a lot when we can switch our mentality to one that encourages us to grow and see the positive instead of living in a world with endless negative possibilities.
How to be more optimistic
Would you like to invite more optimism into your life? Maybe you even consider yourself to be a pessimist? Use some simple practices to bring some more optimism into your daily life to get yourself started. Simply being told to “think more positively” isn’t very helpful at all. What helps me is to recognize the areas in my life I might be a bit negative about. Do you have bad expectations for your future? Take ten minutes to write down all the things that you’d like to happen instead. Take a moment and imagine that it’s all possible (cause it actually is. Crazy, right?) Yes, it’ll take work, but the point is that it’s possible! Shifting even small beliefs like this is crucial.
Another thing you can do is to try to practice gratitude more. Keep a gratitude journal and list all the things that made you happy that day. Did you have a few extra moments of bliss sipping your coffee this morning? You had a nice conversation with someone you haven’t seen for a while? Make sure to write those things down and feel grateful for them! The more good you see in your life, the more good you invite in!
I’m working on getting better at being an optimist as well. I know that it helps me to be a happier person. Even if it can be seen as idealistic or childish to carry these beliefs, it also makes me feel more fulfilled in life. I like believing in the good in people, and I like believing that I can achieve whatever I put my mind to. I enjoy living in my world where the glass is half full. There’s already enough negativity in the world! I don’t want to add any more! So I think I’ll continue being an optimist.