Comments on: Always look on the bright side of life

By: Lex

Lex — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:16:31 +0000

If anyone wants to read the original report for the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, here it is…

http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&attid=0.1&thid=11fcad865b4f720a&mt=application%2Fpdf

By: jeff watson

jeff watson — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:42:27 +0000

I wonder what other correlations can be made with optimism and human behavior. Any other links to studies would be appreciated.

Sidebar: Although I remain steadfastly optimistic in life, I’m doing a trial study of decisions and the results. I’m using a magic 8 ball to make a specific set of decisions every day. So far, the magic 8 ball is working as good as regular decisions.

Jeff

By: Ann Ivins

Ann Ivins — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:15:45 +0000

The ideal subjects would be twins separated at birth – and even then, since experience actually changes brain structure and chemistry, it wouldn’t be perfect.

By: Lex

Lex — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:04:59 +0000

Konnie: if both parents are one long(x)/one short(X), then each child could end up as XX, Xx, xX, or xx. There’s a one in four chance to be any one. Only xx would make a person a genetic optimist, because X overpowers x.

And the idea could turn out to be shite anyhow…or as Dr. Chansky said, it is probably a combination of nature and nurture.

By: pragma

pragma — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:58:50 +0000

Why do they always leave out people like me, who see the glass as exactly what it is…???

“The amount of the liquid in the container is half the container’s capacity.”

I don’t make value judgments when observing containers of water.

By: Ann Ivins

Ann Ivins — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:06:17 +0000

Half-empty, half-full… as long as it’s mine mine mine.

I enjoyed the article by Dr. Chansky; whistling in the dark is almost a religion in our family.

By: konnie

konnie — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:01:58 +0000

so how do splain one optimist daughter, and one pessimist daughter with the same 2 parents.
stop blaiming me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Tamar Chansky

Tamar Chansky — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:30:39 +0000

I wasn’t aware of the genetic study, but remember (and I don’t mean to be optimistic, just citing research) that work by Sonja Lyubomirsky and colleagues found that 50% of our happiness may be governed by genes, but 40% is under our voluntary control. We can teach ourselves how to be optimistic.

This piece I wrote for Huffington offers seven strategies to start the process, especially during these difficult times.
All best,
Tamar Chansky
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tamar-chansky/how-to-practice-safe-opti_b_167443.html

By: elaine

elaine — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:50:46 +0000

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article5797028.ece?token=null&offset=24&page=3

No 12

Feeling fretful about glasses…

“Whenever governments intervene in the market, in short, readers rush to buy Rand’s book. Why? The reason is explained by the name of a recently formed group on Facebook, the world’s biggest social-networking site: “Read the news today? It’s like ‘Atlas Shrugged’ is happening in real life”. The group, and an expanding chorus of fretful bloggers, reckon that life is imitating art.”

http://www.economist.com/finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13185404

These guys helped out my genetic shortcomings…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrlkBmHU-wk

By: Ann Ivins

Ann Ivins — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:12:35 +0000

Here’s a link to the biggest meta-analysis of SSRI/placebo efficacy (on depression alone):

http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0050045&ct=1