There is such thing as too much optimism. Striving to be more optimistic and happier, although both great for our wellbeing, does come with a word of caution. And the good news is that we can learn to become both more optimistic and happier, by practising the evidence-backed practices previously outlined. To achieve greater wellbeing and move closer towards thriving, we need both happiness and optimism. So, the two concepts are related but they’re not the same. In this way, this type of happiness is typically considered as a hedonic as opposed to a eudaimonic concept.Īdditionally, optimists tend to have a more positive mindset and greater satisfaction with their lives, which relates to the other component of subjective wellbeing. Subjective wellbeing is often thought of as the experience of frequent positivity (less negative thinking), and a positive evaluation of one’s life. The experience of positivity is one aspect of happiness, when discussed as subjective wellbeing. When we’re optimistic, we tend to experience more positive emotions and think of things in a more positive light. Whereas happiness is related to our emotions and feelings. Optimism is deemed to be a set of thoughts that then impacts what we do and how we feel. What we know is that happier people tend to be more optimistic and optimistic people tend to be happier. If we’re happier, are we more optimistic? Or if we’re optimistic, are we more happy? Is happiness the underpinning of optimism or is optimism an underpinning of happiness? They are more likely receive better academic grades at school and university, perform better at sports too, and earn more income later in life (depending on the job of course).Īs you can see, there’s definitely a silver lining to adopting an optimistic and positive outlook. Optimists tend be more energetic, they have greater wellbeing, are physically healthier, and have better quality and longer-lasting relationships because they’re easier to be around so more people are drawn to them. Optimism plays a critical role in how resilient we are and how we manage stress. And when there are bumps in the road, they’re more likely to give up because of their negative outlook, which is why they don’t achieve the benefits that come with being optimistic. On the other hand, pessimists don’t tend to have favourable expectations about the future, so they put in less effort. They also try harder when there are setbacks because of their initial belief that things will eventually improve. Optimists think that what’s to come will be better, so they tend to put more effort into the present and adopt a positive outlook. A bit like a hamster on a wheel, we’re constantly chasing things to live a ‘happy life’ without ever truly getting any closer to actually being happier. The ‘shiny and new’ feelings simply wear off, and we’re left looking for something to make us feel happy again. And what tends to happen soon after is that we return to our ‘baseline’ or typical level of happiness. Yet any good feelings we gain from these types of indulgences are often short lived. Those things we do for in-the-moment pleasure like buying a new pair of shoes, eating chocolate, moving into the dream home, or indulging in the latest gadget. Often what comes to mind for many people when considering happiness is the hedonic version. It’s an incredibly subjective concept so what makes one person happy isn’t necessarily going to make the person beside you feel happy too. Happiness is a topic that has been explored since the days of Artistotle, and is still being studied by many researchers around the world.Īlthough it can appear pretty simple at first, when you really think about it, happiness is quite complex. What does it take to be happy? Truly happy? And what even is happiness?
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