Learn to be an optimist... in just 21 days!

Give your life the lift-off it needs and... Get the happiness habit with these simple ways to rewire your brain and banish negativity for good

IT’S very easy to get bogged down with a negative state of mind these days. We only need switch on the news to find ourselves deflated and demoralised. But it’s no wonder so many of us feel pessimistic: our brains are wired to protect us, so they’re constantly scanning for threats and the things we’re afraid of.

Research consistently suggests that we think social problems are worse than they really are, that the environment is ‘very bad’ when what we see around us every day tells us otherwise, and just 20 per cent of us think our job situations will ever improve.

Now, here’s the good news. After many years spent teaching positive psychology at Harvard, travelling the world researching happiness and advising global businesses and government departments on the subject, I’ve come to understand how we can all teach ourselves to become more optimistic.

Regardless of our genes, the circumstances of our childhood and where we live, we can all start to feel more positive.

Optimism is a choice we can all make. Scientific research has proven that if people adopt certain habits, they can change their mindset.

We can ‘learn’ a positive outlook. We can rewire how our brains process the world, to the extent that by following a few simple steps daily, pessimists can be reclassed as optimists in just three weeks.

Just take a moment to consider the benefits that come with being able to look at life as a glass half-full.

Not only do we know that smiles are ‘catching’ but optimism is too. We are happier around more positive people. We know from research that when someone is more optimistic, we like them more, we trust them more and we find them to be more intelligent.

An optimistic outlook can give you the edge in all realms of life, as I describe in my bestselling book, The Happiness Advantage. For example, a University of Pennsylvania study showed that among insurance salesmen, those who were the most optimistic were outselling the others by 89 per cent.

Other research shows that 75 per cent of what causes us to be successful is down to how we process the world – particularly our optimism, a quality founded on the belief that our behaviour really matters.

Pessimists meanwhile spend their resources focused on the negative so they have no resources for creativity or spotting opportunities.

Optimists take responsibility for their health and well-being.

They attend cancer and cholesterol screenings, for example, because they’re not afraid of seeing problems and research has also shown that a positive outlook makes some symptoms feel less acute.

There are benefits around sleep and stress too for those who are optimistic.

By choosing to follow the five ‘happiness habits’ outlined on these pages, you too can boost your optimism levels in 21 days.

POSITIVITY WILL GIVE YOU THE EDGE OVER OTHERS