Studies have shown optimism promotes longevity, can lead to higher career success and even reduce risk of chronic disease. Life Kit offers tips on how to be more optimistic.
ADRIAN MA, HOST:
If I poured you half a glass of water, would you say it’s half full or half empty? If you’re inclined to say empty, you might want to look again because studies have shown optimism can promote longevity and even reduce risk of chronic disease. A new book by the Optimism Doctor argues everyone could also be more optimistic. Life Kit reporter Andee Tagle takes it from here.
ANDEE TAGLE, BYLINE: So you might be thinking, with all the everything going on in the world – the fighting, the climate, general angst and uncertainty – maybe optimism doesn’t feel particularly useful right now.
DEEPIKA CHOPRA: I actually feel quite the opposite. No change can be made without optimism. We need to be able to stay engaged and to keep looking and to keep showing up and to keep deeply caring.
TAGLE: Deepika Chopra is a behavioral scientist with a doctorate in clinical health psychology. Her new book, “The Power Of Real Optimism,” works to dispel common misconceptions. It’s not undiluted positivity, and ignorance is not bliss.
CHOPRA: When you have the rage part or anger part or sadness part, and you don’t have the part on, I have a vision or a hope or a real true possibility in my mind that things can be different, then your brain doesn’t put forth the executive functioning to start problem solving, and then you’re stuck in paralysis. And so if there’s one thing that I think is really necessary right now is to train.
TAGLE: Train your brain, that is.
CHOPRA: The brain is an anticipatory organ. The brain is constantly thinking in future tense.
TAGLE: Our brains like to fill in the blanks for us to help make sense of the world around us and to be more efficient. Like, you know when you finish your spouse’s sentences for them, or your mouth starts to water when you smell your favorite food cooking in the kitchen? That kind of cognitive working ahead happens with your emotions and your belief systems, too. And your beliefs can influence your behavior. Maybe you’re dreading that big job interview because you feel like you’re terrible under pressure. So instead of preparing, you to sweat and spiral. And then, big surprise, there goes another opportunity. In other words, as the saying goes, whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right – which is why Chopra says, it’s critical to infuse optimism into your life on a daily basis. And there are a lot of small ways to do that, starting with your language.
CHOPRA: Like, today it happened in getting to the studio. I was just going to make it, but I made the wrong turn. And immediately, I heard myself, like, of course, it’s always the times that I need to get somewhere that I make the wrong decision.
TAGLE: But in reality, it’s not every time, and you don’t always choose wrong, so avoid that tendency towards permanence in your thinking. Zoom out on the big picture and reframe. Hey, you still made it to the interview safely. It’s easy to be angry at all the red lights, but when was the last time you celebrated the green ones? Actively working to bring some more sunshine into your life can help, too. Maybe that looks like a morning wakeup dance party, spending some time with nature, expressing just a little gratitude every day or remembering to celebrate your wins. Chopra uses something she calls a ta-da list.
CHOPRA: Instead of a to-do list, I write down everything that I accomplish. That’s what I see before I go to bed. Because when I go to bed, I want to feel a sense of purpose and, like, a win. And the smaller, the better. I mean, there are things on my list that are like, I drank water today.
TAGLE: Now, is being less stressed and well hydrated going to change the world? Well, not exclusively, but things are looking up.
CHOPRA: I always say, you know, real optimism doesn’t deny the dark. It just gives us a way to see within it.
TAGLE: For NPR’s Life Kit, I’m Andee Tagle.
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