@amiablePeace77 Thank you for posting the positive and motivating message. I agree that happiness makes life a lot easier and and it makes its challenges easier to overcome as well. I believe that optimism is something that we learn and incorporate into our everyday lives. Many of us are born into a negative world. Also, it is natural for the mind to like rewards as well.

@amiablePeace77

hiya! this is a really lovely post, thank you (:

in my opinion, optimism is influenced (rather than created and/or born with) in order for a person to think optimistically. i think many things can influence and make some more optimistic than others, such as people who are open minded and people big dreams and aspirations, and also people who stay optimistic to try to avoid failing and negativity in itself. but i think optimism is also subjective too! what someone may think is optimism could be seen as simply being realistic to another, and vice versa. so i think it's something that can't necessarily be entirely figured out, but i don't think it needs to be either!

what are everyone else's opinions and thoughts? <3

-S x

@amiablePeace77

Being optimistic is a combination of genetics and environmental factors.

There are people born genetically prone to have a less chance of developing anxious and depressive traits, so it makes sense that genetics has a role in how naturally optimistic certain people are. However, there are harsh events in our lives that can happen that may take a heavy hit on our ability to feel hope and optimism for the future. What really counts in the end is how we choose to react to these events.

In the end, it is really up to us to find the courage to think more optimistically, despite the fact that we know things could go terribly wrong, maybe even have lists of bad things prepared in our minds. Some things that people do to be more optimistic is writing gratitude journals or their emotions every day. Writing what you are grateful for can help you feel thankful for what you already have and more at peace with yourself; this can push you to be more hopeful. Writing down your emotions can also be very helpful because it can allow you to organize your thoughts and feelings, instead of bottling them up, and come to term with yourself.

I personally write down the emotions I have everyday because my emotions are very strong and volatile. Every time, I have a surge of repeating negative thoughts, I also make a point of reminding myself of a list of things that could go right, if I just had the courage to take a chance. Hanging around or talking to optimistic people may be inspiring and uplifting as well. I am in a much better place right now by doing these kinds of things.

Hi, This sure is an important issue to take up... I do believe that optimism, positivity and happiness are inherent qualities. Though the right practices like... POSITIVE MENTAL THINKING, DEEP, MINDFUL BREATHING, YOGA & MEDITATION could enhance them and even cause a mind shift.

Checking in

I think that it is a combination of genetic predisposition, upbringing and being around optimistic or pessimistic people. My father has anxiety - related to his childhood. On the opposite side of the spectrum- my mother was an optimist. Thankfully I remember her fondly.

I think that optimism is mostly a learned behavior but it can be influenced by genetics.

Hi @amiablePeace77,

This is an interesting question. I guess it depends on people's lives and their upbringings. Those who were in terrible situations and somehow lost hope (sometimes due to even genuine reasons) would be more prone to pessimism. They are mostly the ones who refuse to accept reality.
On the other hand, those who accept reality are at peace with their lives even in the worst of all.

@amiablePeace77

As I see it, our perception of the world is a natural process and serves to ensure we act in our own best interest. In general, we have somewhat control over how we perceive the world but often we don't have the self awareness to realise it. When it's brought to our attention, we can generally make a shift in our perception but we have to Want to make that shift.

The environment we grow up in plays a role in our baseline perception and can oversensitise us, much like pain can influence our pain threshold and/or even break the pain gate responsible for preventing other sensation from being perceived as pain.

Factors such as trauma, mood-disorders or injury, makes it harder for us to become aware of our perception and to be able to make the shift due to erronious mood-shifts and dysfunctional reactions towards emotional stimulation.

The absence of positive thought and/or 'happiness' in some cases can be out of our control, but with support from others, we can be made aware of it so we can continously work on shifting back to a positive state.

Yes, I believe we're born with it. I think I got it from my father, who is also an optimist. But my mother definitely not. So I learned the difference early and realized my outlook and view was the same as my fathers. And I wanted to identify with the kinder, nicer, more positive parent. So maybe the decision of how to be was based on upbringing, it was a choice, but the fact that I had the ability to be either was innate, part of who I "am"! Some people can't even see it! So since I could see it, I could choose it, and live it, so it was definitely in me to choose and adopt.