Author John Milton (1634) wrote these words "A sable cloud turns forth its silver lining on the night." Finding the silver lining means finding a hopeful or comforting prospect in the midst of difficulty. No doubt we will have grief during difficult times. But what about that inspiring person that we all know and marvel at, who gets a devastating diagnosis and manages to keep a smile on their face? How do we take a lesson from their book?
Psychologists say that people do tend to lean one way or the other, seeing the cloud vs. seeing the silver lining. And those on the positive side have better health. Following are some examples of recent research:
- A recent large study of 100,000 women published in the journal Circulation showed that optimists had a 16% lower risk of heart attacks.
- A 2004 study of 1,000 elderly Dutch people found a connection between optimism and a lower risk of death from heart disease.
- A 2000 study from the Mayo Clinic looked at pessimists over a 30 year period and found that they had a 19% higher risk of early death than optimists.
There are several reasons why this may be the case. Being an optimist has been associated with:
- A healthier immune system
- Faster recovery from surgery
- An ability to better cope with physical pain
- A better ability to cope with the emotional stress of a serious diagnosis like cancer.
Optimists tend to take on a "can-do" attitude with a new diagnosis. Pessimists may be less likely to do what they can to help themselves in the face of adversity.
According to experts in the field of positive psychology most people have what is called an "explanatory style". In other words, we see circumstances as either permanent or temporary and general vs. specific. The optimist may see the bad things in life as being isolated incidents and not necessarily their fault;
Each of us has an explanatory style that we have developed over the years. Dr. Martin Seligman, director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania contends that anyone can learn to be an optimist. Becoming aware of thought patterns is the first step. Dr. Seligman has developed a learned optimism test that is found in his book, Learned Optimism.
The test measures ones style and ways of looking at the world, giving a jumping off point for change. Results from that test give insight related to three factors: permanence, pervasiveness and personalization and how we apply these to life circumstances and events. Generally, optimists apply these broadly to good events and in a limited way to bad events.
Below is a chart that illustrates the traits of optimists and pessimists related to permanence, pervasiveness and personalization:
|
Optimist
Permanence:
Pervasiveness:
Personalization: |
Good event or situation
"It will last for a long time"
"It will spread generally."
"I caused it." |
Bad event or situation
"It is temporary."
"It is very localized."
"I didn't cause it." |
|
Pessimist
Permanence:
Pervasiveness:
Personalization: |
Good event or situation
"It is temporary."
"It is very localized."
"I didn't cause it." |
Bad event or situation
"It will last for a long time."
"It will spread generally."
"I caused it." |
Discovering ones explanatory style can be the beginning for change. According to Dr. Seligman regardless of our natural tendency, anyone can choose to focus on the silver lining and to change the way we view life.
We are not talking about denial, rather finding the good that inevitably comes out of every situation. How many of us remember 9-11 and the multiple acts of kindness that were displayed? It is through these positive experiences that we find strength in life’s challenges. Simple practices such as keeping a gratitude journal or being sure to spend time with those natural "silver lining" types can be helpful. In the words of Winston Churchill, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty". What do you see?
Best wishes,
Kevin W. O’Neil, MD, FACP
Medical Director
Brookdale Senior Living
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