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Why Your Brain is Wired for Pessimism—and What You Can Do to Fix It
Elements of well-being
Well-being can be broken into five elements:
- Positive emotion
- Engagement
- Relationships
- Meaning
- Accomplishment
If you improve these, you will be closer to happiness.
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Wired for pessimism
Pessimism comes naturally to people because thinking about the bad stuff that could happen helps us to prepare for survival.
The problem is that pessimists think bad events are permanent and unchangeable. "I think my interview is going to be a disaster." We need to learn to recognize what we're saying to ourselves and then argue against it. "I've done many interviews in my life, and they generally turn out well."
The need for hope
Meditation - mindfulness, focusing on the moment - is an excellent anti-anxiety, anti-anger tool..But accepting suffering and finding contentment in that means you can't move into doing something good in the future.
One important idea is hope. Positive human future doesn't come about by accident - it needs hopeful people who plan for it and make it happen.
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Pessimism vs optimism
While we may have many good reasons to be pessimistic, we don't have to resign ourselves to it forever.
Optimism can be learned. Research reveals that optimists earn more money, have b...
Visualize your best possible self
Studies show that imagining your ideal future can increase your levels of optimism. Focusing on your dreams coming true turn your focus away from worrying about the worst possible outcome.
Imagine your ideal life in 10 years - what it would look like and how you would feel. Spend time considering family, career, romance or health. Now write it down once a week for the next two months.
Accept disappointment
When we expect the worst, we might be trying to protect ourselves from disappointment.
Disappointments are inevitable. We might as well have positive expectations that are occasionally proven wrong than negative expectations that are sometimes proven right.
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Educate your mind to stop being unhappy
Professions like the ones in accounting and law develop a sense of pessimism in the individuals practicing them. However, being obsessed with prudence at work and continue being like this at home i...
Remember the good
In order to be happy, you must first train your brain to perceive the good that happens to you.
One way to do this is by writing down three good experiences you live on a daily basis: appreciation comes from within, just like happiness.
Social comparison
While comparing yourself to others might not be extremely helpful, comparing yourself to people who are in a less good position than you might actually lead to you feeling better.
So, if you really feel this need, try not comparing yourself but to the ones in an inferior position.
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3 kinds of happy lives
- The pleasant life: you fill your life with as many pleasures as you can. This has hardly any contribution to lasting fulfilment.
- The life of engagement, where y...
Habits Of Supremely Happy People
- They surround themselves with other happy people.
- They cultivate resilience.
- They appreciate simple pleasures.
- They devote some of their time to giving.
- They get immersed in activities that bring joy.
- They nix the small talk for deeper conversations.
- They make a point to listen.
- They look on the bright side.
- They make exercise a priority.
- They listen to good music.
- They spend time in nature.
- They laugh a lot.