INDEX
A
altruism, 29
B
Berger, Jonah, 5
Bezos, Jeff, 20
Biondi, Matt, 30
Bismarck, Otto von, 54
Buddhism, 14
C
cancer, 26–27
CBM (Cognitive Bias Modification), 41–42
challenges, accepting, 14–15, 19–20, 21–22
Charney, Dennis, 29
checklist, 79
Clark, Gregory, 55
Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM), 41–42
cognitive therapy, 29
complementary currencies, 68
consumerism, 13
Cousins, Norman, 21
D
Dahlke, Rüdiger, 70–71
decisiveness, 20–21
democracy, 52–53
depression, 28–29
E
economic inequality, 56–57
educational systems, 17–18
Ehrlich, Paul, 49
Eisely, Loren, 75–76
energy, 65
epigenetics, 72–73
explanatory styles, 35–37
F
Fahrenheit 9/11 (Moore), 4
failure, 35–36. See also success
famine, 49–51
fear, 43
food:
availability of, 49–51
nutrition, 71–72
safety of, 58–59
Fox, Michael J., 20
Fredrickson, Barbara, 43
freedom from the press, 8–9, 42
freedom of the press, 4
French educational system, 17–18
Freud, Sigmund, 70
future possibilities, 62–78
epigenetics, 72–73
expansion of, 77–78
financial systems, 67–68
heroism, 76–77
and lessons from nature, 65–67
meditation, 68–70
mind-body connection, 70–71
neurotherapy, 73–75
nutrition, 71–72
and sustainability, 64–66
unexpected nature of, 62–63
G
Global Consciousness
Project, 69
Graham, Katherine, 4
Gulf War, 6
H
health impacts:
cancer, 26–27
depression, 28–29
heart disease, 25–26
and learned helplessness, 24–25
heart disease, 25–26
helplessness, learned, 24–25
Hyman, Mark, 72
I
Industrial Revolution, 56
infotainment, 4
Internet, 54–55
interracial marriages, 60
L
laughter, 21, 42. See also fun
learned helplessness, 24–25
learning optimism, 35–43
checklist, 79
Cognitive Bias
Modification, 41–42
and depression, 28–29
and explanatory styles, 35–37
and positive actions, 40–41
and positive experiences, 42–43
and self–talk, 37–40
leisure time, 53–55
Lentinck, David, 66–67
life expectancy, 51–52
Life Orientation Test, 34–35, 80
Lipton, Bruce, 72–73
Loeb, Paul Rogat, 76
M
Maier, Steve, 24
meditation, 68–70
Moore, Michael, 4
Murdoch, Rupert, 3
N
natural resources, 57–58
nature, lessons from, 65–67
Nelson, Roger, 69
neurotherapy, 73–75
Niebuhr, Reinhold, 15
Nietzsche, Friedrich, 20–21
nutrition, 71–72. See also food
O
Obama, Barack, 53
objectivity, 5–6
optimism, defined, 12
Overmier, Bruce, 24
overpopulation, 48–49
P
Parks, Rosa, 76–77
peace, 46–48
Peck, M. Scott, 14
Penn Resiliency Program, 39
Perlmutter, David, 72
persistence, 15
pessimism:
and educational systems, 17–18
historical origins of, 13
See also learning optimism; pessimism in media
pessimism in media, 2–7
capitalist influence on, 3
and freedom of the press, 4
and irrelevance, 8
and objectivity, 5–6
and social media, 4–5
Pinker, Steven, 46–47
population growth, 48–49
positive actions, 40–41
positive evidence, 46–59
democracy, 52–53
food availability, 49–51
food safety, 58–59
life expectancy, 51–52
natural resources, 57–58
overpopulation, 48–49
racism, 59–60
violence, 46–48
wealth, 55–57
working hours, 53–55
positive experiences, 42–43
possibility, 15–17
powerlessness, 17
purpose, 20–21
R
racism, 59–60
response–ability, 19–20
retirement, 54
Romanticism, 13
S
Segerstrom, Suzanne, 27
self–talk, 37–40
Seligman, Martin, 24, 26–27, 28, 30, 39, 40
Senik, Claudia, 17
smiling, 421
Smith, Adam, 77
social media, 4–5
storytelling, 2
success:
and explanatory styles, 35–37
and resilience, 18–19
as result of optimism, 29–31
T
Taleb, Nassim, 8
testing for optimism/
pessimism, 34–35, 80
Travis, Fred, 69
U
unfounded optimism, 12
U.S. war in Afghanistan, 6
V
victories, 18–19
violence, 46–48
W
Waugh, Evelyn, 6
wealth, 55–57
Wilson, Colin, 13
working hours, 53–55
World Health Organization (WHO), 7
Y
Yamani, Sheikh Zaki, 57
Z
Zander, Benjamin, 15–16, 75–76
Zander, Rosamund Stone, 15–16, 75–76
Zhou Enlai, 16
Zusya, Rabbi, 76–77