Optimism
Building Psychological Capital: Hope, Self-Efficacy, Resilience, and Optimism
By Christopher L. Heffner, PsyD, PhD You Can Bank On it Psychological capital in many ways is like a savings account for our well-being. Just as it is good to save money for a rainy day, it is good to build psychological capital. It is beneficial for good days and allows us greater comfort and…
Read MoreA Negative Beginning to Positive Psychology: Part 2
By Christopher L. Heffner, PsyD, PhD Continued From Part 1… But Wait, there is Good News Remember, Csikszentmihalyi found that teenagers can be unhappy and can see life through their suffering, but he also found an interesting exception. When teenagers focus their energies on tasks that are challenging, their mood is more upbeat. In other…
Read MoreLearning to be Optimistic
By Christopher L. Heffner, PsyD, PhD As a human species, do you think we are more naturally pessimistic or more naturally optimistic? Interestingly, Seligman and others in the field of positive psychology argue that we are naturally more pessimistic. From a biological perspective, as animals, we are preprogrammed to seek out potential danger as a…
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