(OPRAH.com)– Recent
research suggests an
optimistic state
comes from a series
of active inner
processes,
psychological
somersaults. That’s
good news because it
means that optimism –
like other skills such
as putting on eyeliner
or hitting a tennis ball
– is something we can
improve with practice.
How you explain both
success and failure
can affect your
outlook on life.
1. Play interpersonal
ping-pong
If you serve up a
smile to people, they
usually bounce it
back. Hit them with a
snarl and watch them
scowl instead.
Research shows that
facial expressions and
the moods that
accompany them are
contagious, probably
because they evolved
as a means of
nonverbal
communication
between people.
You can use the
infectious effects of
a grin to jump-start
an optimistic outlook
in yourself by sending
others what you want
them to lob back at
you. A kind word to
the man behind the
deli counter can get
your day bouncing in
the right direction.
2. Short-circuit
pessimism
There’s another
reason for putting on
a happy face: It
influences your brain
in a positive way.In one study, subjects
who were asked to
hold a pen in their
mouth (causing them
to inadvertently make
the facial muscle
movements
characteristic of a
smile) rated cartoons
to be funnier than did
other subjects, even
though they were
unaware that it was
the smile that was
boosting their
reaction.
There’s an interesting
biological reason for
this effect: When you
feel down, your brain
tells your face you’re
sad, and your facial
muscles respond by
putting on a
depressed expression -
- and convey back to
the brain that, yes,
you’re feeling blue.
Consciously changing
the facial muscles so
they don’t correspond
to what you’re feeling
is a way of sending a
different message:
“Hey, it’s not so bad
down here after all.”
The brain will respond
by beginning to
change your mood
accordingly.
3. Explain success and
failure like an optimist
Research shows that
it’s not what happens
that determines your
mood but how you
explain what happens
that counts.
If an optimist
encounters a
computer program she
can’t figure out,
she’s likely to say,
“Either the manual is
unclear, or this
program is hard, or
maybe I’m having an
off day.” The optimist
keeps the failure
outside herself (”the
manual”), specific
(”this program”), and
temporary (”an off
day”), while the
pessimist would make
it internal, global, and
permanent.
When success occurs,
optimists say, “Of
course dinner turned
out; I’m a good cook,”
while pessimists say,
“Boy, was I lucky
today,” literally
snatching defeat from
the jaws of victory. If
you start to speak to
yourself in a more
positive way when you
succeed and fail,
you’ll gradually
become more
optimistic.
4. Stack the deck in
your favor
It’s easy to be
envious: Compare
yourself to those with
thinner thighs and
fatter bank accounts,
and you’ll always
come up wanting –
and pessimistic. But
the corollary is also
true: No matter how
bad things get,
there’s always
someone who’s worse
off.
In one simple study,
subjects were
randomly divided into
two subgroups. One
group was to finish
the sentence “I wish I
were a ___.” The other
was asked to
complete the
sentence “I’m glad I’m
not a ___.” When
individuals rated their
sense of satisfaction
with their lives before
and after this task,
those who completed
the “I’m glad I’m not a
___” sentence were
significantly more
satisfied than before.
5. Learn to shift your
focus.
Pessimists can’t stop
depressing facts or
negative thoughts
from poking into their
consciousness, but
they can choose not
to dwell on them.
If you look through a
camera lens, you’ll
find that when one
part of the picture is
in focus, the other
areas blur a bit. (This
is a distortion, sure,
but sometimes we
need to sustain the
idea of being in a
protective bubble to
feel optimistic.) This
active self-direction
of your own moment-
to-moment
perspective allows
you to create a new
life story, one in
which you take charge
of your emotions and
actions.
Since research shows
that those who feel
they have a better
sense of control tend
to be the most
optimistic, why not
take charge of where
your psychological
lens is focused?
By Lise Funderburg
from “O, The Oprah
Magazine,”
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