How Optimism Affects Happiness: And How To Stay Positive

We all want to live a happy life, but life is not a smooth ride. It’s a ride with many obstacles. One of the best ways to seek out happiness in your life is by utilizing the power of optimism. Optimism is not simply being positive all the time, but it is finding opportunity, peace, and happiness in your darkest hours.

If we can harness the power of optimism and our inner vibration with the universe, we will be able to bring happiness into our lives. One of my favorite quotes, which many of you may have heard, by Winston Churchill is, “a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Let me take you on a journey and see how optimism affects your happiness and how we can use the power of optimism in our lives,

Optimism and Happiness

According to the book Optimism Bias by neurologist Tali Sharot, about 80% of our human population is inherently optimistic. This means that you and I are optimistic, and we didn’t even know it! We have to harness this power and open the door to happiness.

There are so many benefits to being optimistic:

• Strengthens the Immune System

According to multiple studies, being optimistic will improve your immune system and help prevent chronic diseases and cancers by giving you a fighting spirit. When compared to pessimistic people, the number of early age diseases is less common in frequently optimistic people.

• Help reduce stress

Optimistic people tend to look at the positive side of everything even if something terrible occurs by not overthinking and letting the stress, which is a part of our lives, sink in. Optimistic people hope and pray for better times, and the vibrations are in alignment with the universe, and having faith leads to a stress-free life.

• Improves career lives

Being an optimistic person helps to increase productivity and creativity. Optimistic people look into the future in a positive light which helps with completing work productively. Optimism improves mood and happiness, promoting a willingness for curiosity and motivation to take the lead.

• Improves relationships

Optimistic people look at the better side of people compared to pessimists who only see the negative side of people. Optimism helps to lead healthy relationships and appreciate the goodness of people.

• Helps in mental health

Optimism helps people cope with many challenging events in their lives by seeing them positively. Optimistic people have good problem-solving skills and tend to recover from sadness and disappointments quickly compared to pessimists.

Optimistic people look at the better side of everything, which results in having better responses for many difficult events in their lives.

• Helps improve self-esteem

Optimism aids people in believing in themselves and respond to failure in a positive light. Optimistic people are confident, and it leads to a happy and long life as they can overcome any situation life throws at them by finding the opportunity in their problems.

Optimism helps to focus on the end goal, and success is possible.

• Optimism casts away loneliness.

Pessimistic people are lonely as they always see the negative side of people and believe there is not much benefit in socializing. On the other hand, optimistic people improve their emotional connection with others and venture out into the world to socialize as optimists see the better side of people and socializing.

• Optimism helps in success.

Optimistic people look at their purpose in life and believe that they can achieve it, while pessimists think the world is in doom and success is not possible at all. Optimistic people venture out for success in their relationships, business or professional, and their own lives.

• Optimism helps people live longer.

Many studies conducted show links between depression and risks of cardiovascular diseases and cancer resulting in premature deaths. Being optimistic has shown a reduction in stress and depression. According to one study, optimistic women have a reduced risk of 33% in death compared to pessimistic women.

This means that having an optimistic approach to life helps you lead a long and healthy life.

Being optimistic is an essential aspect of life, and I have to add that there are many more effects of optimism in addition to the ones stated above.

How can you be more optimistic? And As A Result Be Happier?

• Remember, you cannot control everything
• Focus on the positive side of things
• Have a goal in your life, and work towards achieving it and remember there will be obstacles ahead
• Keep a gratitude journal
• Meditate on positive thoughts and remove negativity
• Look at the positive side of people
• Remember having negative thoughts is not your fault
• Treat yourself when you have a positive thought
• Remove pessimistic people from your life
• Use positive affirmations, such as:
  • “I am in peace”
  • “I am learning from my mistakes”
  • “I am grateful for everything I have in my life”
  • “Today is a great day”
  • “Every day, I am getting stronger and better ”

So What Does This Mean?

These are some ways how optimism affects happiness. Happiness is not attached to any physical element, but it is our state of mind, which can be achieved through having an optimistic outlook on life.

We can bring happiness into our lives by working on and within ourselves.