You probably know someone who always has a smile on their face or who has a positive thought. Optimistic people see the challenges presented to them as learning experiences and accept even the worst day as a promise that tomorrow will be better. Maintaining a positive attitude can improve stress and overall health.
It is important to always try to see the positive side of things, in order to ward off stress and all negative feelings, so we can also get greater health benefits.
Trying to see the bright side of things has some advantages, such as the following:
More optimistic young people, 18 to 30 years old, are found to be healthier when they reach 45 to 60 years old than pessimists; these are particularly associated with higher rates of infectious diseases and higher mortality, among other health problems.
People who do cognitive therapy, which helps to reshape thought processes, achieve more positive and lasting results over time and are more optimistic because they have the ability to handle setbacks that may occur more effectively, much better than pessimists or those who have not received this training.
Optimistic people tend to feel less stress than pessimistic people because they believe in themselves and their abilities, and tend to see negative events as minor setbacks. They feel able to overcome life’s obstacles and see positive events as evidence of other good things to come. .
Optimists can better manage stress and its emotional consequences and generally feel less stressed.
More optimistic people create more positive synergies, perform their roles better, and achieve more goals than pessimists, who are more vulnerable to the opinions of others because they trust each other less; the opposite of what happens to optimists.
Optimists do not become as easily as pessimists and are therefore more likely to succeed, as they persist in their attempts and are able to turn their failures into success.
Finally, positive people live longer, healthier lives than pessimists.
Image courtesy of Silvia Vialeles