If you don’t naturally have a positive outlook on life though, how do you achieve that? Physical health – Hopeful people are more likely to look after their own health and wellbeing, therefore tend to be physically healthier with stronger immune responses, even when they are in highly challenging situations.They are more likely to persist with tasks and therefore tend to perform better in all areas of their lives. Managing time and effort – Optimists seem better at managing conflicting goals, prioritising the more important over less important ones and balancing effort across these.
It’s thought that optimists are more likely to take an active rather than a passive approach to dealing with their problems and are less likely to dwell on issues, which makes them more emotionally resilient. This means we’re less likely to be stressed or burn out, and we’ll experience less anxiety. Resilience (and this one is particularly important in the current climate) – Hope and optimism help us build and maintain our ‘reservoir’ of psychological resources and so help us cope better in tough times.They perceive they have greater social support and have been shown to have wider, more diverse social networks, which in turn help maintain, even increase, their optimism. Optimists are less likely to be lonely and have a more constructive approach to dealing with problems. Relationships – Feeling optimistic can help us fare better in our relationships, which are central to our happiness.The potential benefits of optimism are several: But studies are now showing that people who have an optimistic outlook actually do seem to be happier and less likely to feel there is no hope for a better future. After all, life can be difficult and probably is right now for the majority of people. Have you ever met a happy person who wasn’t hopeful? Or an optimistic person who wasn’t happy? Yet psychologists used to believe that being optimistic, or hopeful, was naïve or misguided. ‘How we think about the future – how we hope – determines how well we live our lives.’ Shane J Lopez, Making Hope Happen: Create the Future You Want for Yourself and Others Indeed, the capacity to maintain an optimistic outlook is surely a defining feature of us as a species. So it follows that how we think and feel about future possibilities and goals determines how happy we are today. Healthcare professionals Expand dropdownĪs humans, we have an innate capacity to imagine and create mental images of how things could be, and so we’re drawn towards the future.Remembering a loved one at your celebration.Funeral collections and flower donations.Supporting friends and family Expand dropdown.
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