ABSTRACT
So why is it important to be as positive as possible? Pessimism promotes depression and inertia. It also makes us feel bad and is associated with poor physical health, as well as making us less likely to succeed in the future. We can choose to be more optimistic but we have to reset our innate ability to be positive. We can reprocess our thoughts and see stressors as a challenge not a threat. We can choose to see an experience as positive or negative. If we take the negative view we let frustrations make inroads into our positive feelings. However, if we choose to take the positive view it makes us more positive, and others too, because emotions are contagious. So we finish the chapter by focusing on why we need to be positive and optimistic, and how we can encourage this in the workplace, and how employers can create a positive environment for staff and those in their care.
