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In Defense of Optimism
November 11, 2010
The visions we offer our children shape the future. It matters what those visions are. Often they become self-fulfilling prophecies. Dreams are maps.
-Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot
-Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot
"Optimism can protect against depression and anxiety disorders and promote emotional resilience. Optimists are physically healthier than pessimists, and they recover faster from conditions like heart disease. Optimism can help us cope more effectively with stress, and affects the immune system in ways that are largely beneficial. Plus, most people prefer the company of optimists. Compared with pessimists, they have more friends and are more likely to have wide social networks, which confer additional health benefits."
Editor's Note: Our company includes both optimists and pessimists and I think that is good. If everyone on our staff always saw only the bright side of new ideas, we would have made some really big mistakes. The pessimists on staff force us to look at both the upside and the downside of every decision.
Mind in the Making |
 Ellen Galinsky provides research-based advice for parents and teachers on how to raise their children to be well rounded and achieve their full potential — learning to take on life’s challenges, communicating well with others, and remaining committed to learning. |
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Comments (3)
Displaying All 3 CommentsShishu Vikash Kendra
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
I am absolutely optimist. An potimist can help the pessimist to overcome from his
depressios.
Kid\'s Kuntry Learning Center & Preschool
Poplar Bluff, Missouri, United States
I, myself, am an optimist. I used to call my husband a pessimist all the time. He informed me that he wasn't a pessimist, just a "realist" I stand corrected!!
Dallas, TX, United States
The pessimism-optimism interaction you describe in the last paragraph is what I call 'functional' optimism. Approaching a challenging situation with an optimistic mind set while 'thinking like a lawyer' has produced some of our most successful projects.
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