The Effects of Optimism on the Brain

Being optimistic today becomes a difficult threshold to reach. We tend, overwhelmed by worries and daily stress, to characterize ourselves as "pessimistic." We no longer have the power to approach life positively, we close ourselves in a world of our own, of negative thoughts. According to psychological theories, the only thing you need to learn in life is to think positively; all other things come naturally.

Sarah teaches us how to be optimistic: "I am optimistic! If I weren't, I wouldn't resist in the world of football, where you work hard. I've always known that if I fight to the end, I'll get what I want. In addition, I have always been surrounded by people who love me - girls, Sara and Rebbeca, mother, Laurentiu - and for whom I know I am important and that motivates me to be happy and confident.

The mechanism of optimism

Interesting is the study of the team of American researchers, who monitored the brain activity of 15 people, while they were asked how they think different possible scenarios, such as: to remember a negative event from the past, to earn a lot of money or important prizes, to be cheated on by your girlfriend or boyfriend, to go on vacation to an exotic place, to get sick of an incurable disease.

The results showed that positive events, especially those imagined in the future, require a stronger response in these regions (amygdala and anterior rostral cortex) than a perspective with negative events. Previous research has shown that only depressed patients have more activity in these two areas.

The way these areas operate is best seen in the fact that people expect pleasant events in their lives, even if for some no fact supports such expectations. It also appears that some people do not necessarily suffer from depression, but have different levels of optimism, according to American scientists who, through their study, could help create new treatments for depression.

Is optimism learned or is it genetic?

Optimism can be defined as a protection against depression, but also as a willingness to see situations in a positive light. Most American research has shown that optimists have good physical and mental health and live longer than pessimists.

Is optimism learned or is it genetic? We are all aware that certain unhappy events in life make us stronger but also unable to see, at least for a while, the full side of the glass. For the romantic star Ana Maria Prodan, to be optimistic means, first of all, to take all the hardships of life as they are and to face them. "We all go through difficult situations in life, but also through beautiful moments. It is important to treat them all the same.

Don't get too excited when you're successful - that doesn't mean you shouldn't rejoice, just don't lose your temper. And I think you have to take the difficult situations calmly and see where you can start solving them. "

Adults with a pessimistic outlook on life are more likely to develop depression and anxiety than those with an optimistic outlook. The people are prudent, a feeling of defending the people in front of the feeling of goodness, of satisfaction, of optimism.

Some states show an inner balance, an understanding of conflicts, of tensions; but if we do not reach this agreement, it is very difficult to see the "optimistic" parts of life. It is like the human being to turn his attention to what is wrong, to the empty part of the glass. Optimism becomes much more difficult to achieve once we reach the age of 10–11. We always want to return to the carefree period, childhood.

We leave home, after which we aim to return to the "home" state. It is quite difficult for adult life to look optimistically at good times because of responsibilities, goals that are sometimes too difficult to achieve. The relationship between optimism and pessimism should be, in a psychological view, like a balance that is constantly balancing and rebalancing.

Excessive optimism raises questions; we cannot look optimistically at any day in our lives, but it is preferable to have a dynamic between the two. A moment when we think positively practically creates the ground for us and gives us the motivation to do good things daily. Relating positively to what we have to do allows our internal resources to be invested in daily activities.

But how do we recover from a failure? "It simply came to our notice then. I get angry, I revolt and I gather all my strength to move on ", admits the Romantic star, an independent woman, who knows the" mechanism "of daily optimism.