Happy New Year! So many people are now feeling that fresh scrubbed feeling of a new beginning. I admit that I am excited about good things to come. Contrary to media implications of going from one decade of doom to another, let me submit that optimism is a learned skill and just like a new year resolution, requires work in order to maintain.
A study published in Nature Neuroscience by professor Xiao-Jing Wang tells us in a strangely mathematical way, that our brains are "hardwired" for pessimism. This professor of neurobiology at Yale School of Medicine shows that there is a reason that we assume cancer if a strange lump is found or when we hear that a fatal accident has occurred, we call to check on our family members.
And if it is a hardwiring situation, then we may have to work at changing a biological, pessimistic view that may be crippling our ability to enjoy our lives.
Martin Seligman has written Learned Optimism and Authentic Happiness to address overriding this natural inclination. There are websites, programs, meditations, affirmations, books and licensed professionals all aimed at creating a more positive outlook.
But, just like losing weight or committing to an exercise regime, overcoming inertia takes a plan and daily "exercise."
If you know that you tend toward pessimism, make it part of your new year to look for the positive, not the negative. Retrain your brain!
*Look for the doctors of AAC Family Wellness Centers at Calvary Tabernacle on January 9, 2010 doing our Extreme Health Makeover program featuring presentations: "The Garden of Eatin', Move Well and The Power That Made the Body, Heals the Body."
A study published in Nature Neuroscience by professor Xiao-Jing Wang tells us in a strangely mathematical way, that our brains are "hardwired" for pessimism. This professor of neurobiology at Yale School of Medicine shows that there is a reason that we assume cancer if a strange lump is found or when we hear that a fatal accident has occurred, we call to check on our family members.
And if it is a hardwiring situation, then we may have to work at changing a biological, pessimistic view that may be crippling our ability to enjoy our lives.
Martin Seligman has written Learned Optimism and Authentic Happiness to address overriding this natural inclination. There are websites, programs, meditations, affirmations, books and licensed professionals all aimed at creating a more positive outlook.
But, just like losing weight or committing to an exercise regime, overcoming inertia takes a plan and daily "exercise."
If you know that you tend toward pessimism, make it part of your new year to look for the positive, not the negative. Retrain your brain!
*Look for the doctors of AAC Family Wellness Centers at Calvary Tabernacle on January 9, 2010 doing our Extreme Health Makeover program featuring presentations: "The Garden of Eatin', Move Well and The Power That Made the Body, Heals the Body."
Dr. Sarah Westcott
Recent Comments