Learned Optimism

Learned Optimism

What is Optimism? • It is not just a rediscovery of “The Power of Positive Thinking” • Not affirmations • It is your interpretation or explanation of failuresand successes

Why study optimism? • Studies consistently find that pessimism leads to giving up more easily and experiencing depressed moods more often • Optimism leads to more success in school, career, and personal lives(achieve their potential) • Optimists have better health and may live longer • Optimists are more creative problem solvers.

What are the benefits of Optimism? • Less distress during stress • Adapt better during stress • Increased problem solving abilities • More continuous effort / don’t give up (grit) • More productive during work and play periods

What are the benefits of Pessimism? • Pessimistic people are more realistic • Pessimistic people believe they have more control than they do (i.e. they prepare) • Most companies need pessimists to survive • In safety situations pessimism keeps you alive (e.g.- airlines)

Evolution and Pessimism • Our emotional makeup has been shaped by catastrophe (heat, cold, drought, etc) • Those who survived worried incessantly about the future, even on pleasant, sunny days

Optimism vs. Pessimism Optimism • resiliency among both healthy and ill • Less risk for depression • Higher self worth • Higher sense of competence Pessimism • Lower self-esteem • Greater risk of depression and suicide • Peer problems Sydney Ey, et al (2005) Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry

School • Children who see bad events as permanent, pervasive and personal will, over time, get depressed and do badly • Children suffering bad life events (divorce, family deaths, etc) are more likely to do worse • Explanatory style (i.e. interpretation) is as much of a predictor of success as SAT’s or IQ tests

Sports • Berkeley swimmers study • Teams can have a measurable explanatory style that can predict how well they perform under pressure

Health The group with control was happier and more active. They also lived longer. • Nursing home study • 1stgroup had extra control and choice. • 2nd group had same amenities, but no choice

Can Optimism be Taught? YES! The first step is to understand the different ways to explain the outcome of a situation…. The Explanatory Style

On a beautiful afternoon, a softball and baseball team played home games. In the baseball game, the batter hit a grounder to Darren, the shortstop, who failed to catch it, as it took a bad hop before it reached his glove. In the heat of the moment, he said to himself, “The ball took a bad bounce.” Darren continued to feel confident in his abilities to enjoy the game. His teammates and the coach yelled out, “Shake it off!” They noticed Darren’s energetic performance for the rest of the game. The coach remembered that Darren was scheduled to bat in the next inning and thought, “Good. He is one of our better hitters.”

Optimists tend to see their problems as… Impersonal - Ball took bad bounce Temporary – Doesn’t always happen Specific – Specific to that one time.

On an adjacent field, shortstop Samantha bobbled a ground ball that hit a rock as she was trying to make the play. As she watched the ball roll into left field, she thought, “I just don’t have what it takes to play this game.” She began to lose confidence in her abilities and started wishing she was doing something else. Just like at the boys game, her teammates and a coach told her, “Shake it off!” They noticed Samantha’s slumped posture and slowed movement and began to wonder whether she would recover from the error. The coach remembered that Samantha was scheduled to bat in the next inning and thought, “She is normally one of our best hitters, but maybe I should let someone else bat in that slot. She’s not likely to get a hit after making that error.”

Pessimists tend to see their problems as… Permanent – She will never get better. Personal – It wasn’t the rock; it was her ability. Pervasive – Not just the one time, every time.

Explanatory Styles Continuum Each Dimension is a Spectrum……. Personalization: Do we blame ourselves or others for the event? Impersonal______________________________ Personal (cause is about other people or circumstances)(I am the cause) Permanence: Do we believe the bad event will last forever or be temporary? Temporary ______________________________ Permanent (cause is changeable or transient) (The cause is permanent) Pervasiveness: Do we believe the bad event affects everything in our lives or just a small part of it? Specific _________________________________ Pervasive (cause affects a few situations)(cause affects many situations)

Explanatory Styles Continuum Research Shows….. Outlook for Optimists when things don’t go well: Outlook for Pessimists when things go their way: Outlook for Pessimists when things don’t go well. Outlook for Optimists when things go their way. • Blame others or circumstances for the event. • Believe the bad event will be temporary. • Believe the bad event affects just a small part of our life. • Blame ourselves. • Believe the bad event will last forever. • Believe the bad event affects everything in our lives.

Increase Optimism by considering the facts. Emphasize Accuracy. Permanence Thinking the problem is going to last forever and you can’t do anything to make it better. Personalization How much blame do you deserve? What is the cause?

Pervasiveness: the tendency to generalize so that negative features of one situation are extended to others as well ("I’m stupid" vs. "I failed a math test" or "nobody likes me" vs. "Janet didn’t invite me to her party").

Research finds….. These tendencies are simply habits, and over time, we can train ourselves to diminish the pessimist's control and have new, more productive explanatory styles. Takes Work and Time

Training our minds for a more conscious life…. Each time we make an action we choose to create a new pathway in the brain or strengthen the old habits New thoughts and behaviors Habitual thoughts and behaviors

Changing your Mind-Set from Pessimistic to Optimistic • Capture what you say. Listen to what you are saying to yourself. • Could the problem be temporary? • How much blame do you really deserve? What is the cause? • Challenge your inner voice. When thoughts are negative, ask yourself, is there another way to think about this?

Changing your Mind-Set from Pessimistic to Optimistic • Generate alternatives. What are the “not me, not always, or not everything” alternatives? • Put it in perspective. What are the consequences? What’s the worst that could happen? What’s the best outcome that is possible? Extremes are usually ridiculous. This forces us to look for “the most likely.”

Learned Optimism