The idea

Optimism has impact on achievement and health, AND can be cultivated.

 

Our insights

  1. Pessimism comes from feeling helpless (problem = permanent, pervasive, own fault)

  2. Optimism leads to enhanced achievement and health; Pessimism leads to enhanced objectivity

  3. In order to change negative thinking: A (adversity); B (beliefs); C (consequence); D (disputation or distraction); E (energisation)

  4. Disputation concerns evidence of alternatives to observations, their origin, their consequence

 

Extracts

  • « Teaching children learned optimism before puberty, but late enough in childhood so that they are metacognitive, is a fruitful strategy. »

  • « What is crucial is what you think when you fail, using the power of ‘non-negative thinking’. »

  • « Success will not necessarily go to the most talented. The prize will go to the adequately talented who are also optimists. »

  • « … wealth at age twenty does not guarantee health or success. »

  • « … health at age sixty was strongly related to optimism at age twenty-five. »

  • « Becoming an optimist consists not of learning to be more selfish and self-assertive, and to present yourself to others in overbearing ways, but simply of learning a set of skills about how to talk to YOURSELF when you suffer a personal defeat. »

 

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you want guidance in Optimism or explore our Positive Expert-Area.

You can find Learned Optimism on amazon and other online bookstores. Click on the image to shop:

 

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TITLE: Learned Optimism

AUTHOR: Martin E.P. Seligman

American psychologist, author of self help books, at basis of theory of ‘learned helplessness’.
Other books include The Optimistic Child, Authentic Happiness, and Flourish.

PUBLISHER: Vintage Books USA; Reprint edition (1 Jan. 2006)

Our scores

Content: 4/5

Style: 4/5

Usability: 4/5