The Art and Science of Happiness - Solved assignment - Week 4

 

Photo credit - Freepik

Tasks for the week (Cognitive styles)

1. Read Chapter 6. “Optimism about the Future.” - Seligman, Martin E. P. Authentic Happiness
2. Read Chapter 5. “Positive Thinking.” - Peterson, Christopher. A Primer in Positive Psychology
3. Optimism & pessimism—what is the difference? How do they work in practice?
4. Is there such a thing as realistic optimism? Realistic pessimism?
5. Take the optimism test in: Seligman, Martin E. P. Chapter 6 in Authentic Happiness
6. Think optimistically for one day– think pessimistically for one day—write down what happens
7. Write two questions about this week’s topic

Task 1 - Read Chapter 6. “Optimism about the Future.” - Seligman, Martin E. P. Authentic Happiness

Summary

Positive emotions about the future include faith, trust, confidence, hope, and optimism. Optimism and hope create better resistance to depression.

The Seligman optimism test assesses these five aspects - 

• Permanence-Good Events (People who believe good events have a permanent cause are more optimistic than those who believe they have temporary causes)
• Permanence-Bad Events (People who give up easily believe the causes of the bad events that happen to them are permanent—the bad events will persist, are always going to be there to affect their lives. People who resist helplessness believe the causes of bad events are temporary)
• Pervasiveness-Good Events (The optimist believes good events will enhance everything he does, while the pessimist believes good events are caused by specific factors)
• Pervasiveness-Bad Events (People who make universal (pessimistic) explanations for their failures give up on everything when a failure strikes in one area. People who make specific (optimistic) explanations may become helpless in that one part of their lives, yet march stalwartly on in others)
• Hopefulness (Whether or not we have hope depends on the two dimensions of Permanence and Pervasiveness taken together. Finding permanent and universal causes of good events along with temporary and specific causes for misfortune is the art of hope. Finding permanent and universal causes for misfortune and temporary and specific causes of good events is the practice of despair)

Method for building optimism

ABCDE is a well-documented method for building optimism that consists of recognizing and then disputing pessimistic thoughts.

This method was developed by Albert Ellis in the late 1950s as a part of his concept of REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy). Ellis’ study was inspired by the Greek philosopher Epictetus’ quote - “People are disturbed not by things but by their view of things.” Ellis’ theory centers on the idea that “people disturb themselves by the rigid and extreme beliefs they hold about things.”

Once you recognize that you have a pessimistic thought that seems unwarranted, argue against it using the ABCDE model. Learn to argue with yourself. 

• A stands for adversity
• B for the beliefs you automatically have when it occurs
• C for the usual consequences of the belief
• D for your disputation of your routine belief
• E for the energization that occurs when you dispute it successfully. By effectively disputing the beliefs that follow an adversity, you can change your reaction from dejection and giving up to activity and good cheer

More about ABCDE is here.

Task 2 - Read Chapter 5. “Positive Thinking.” - Peterson, Christopher. A Primer in Positive Psychology

Summary

The Pollyanna Principle (1978 - Margaret Matlin and Davide Stang) - Humans tend to be noticeably upbeat and positive more often than downcast and surly. Their research found that people place greater importance on the positive, and often assume the best when it comes to making decisions without all the relevant information. We are much more likely to remember pleasant and positive memories. We even tend to recall neutral events as more positive than they really were, which often gives us “rose-colored glasses” about our past and feeds our sense of nostalgia for days gone by.

Optimism has demonstrable benefits, and pessimism has drawbacks.

Optimism has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to perseverance and effective problem solving; to academic, athletic, military, occupational, and political success; to popularity; to good health; and even to long life and freedom from trauma. Pessimism, in contrast, foreshadows depression, passivity, failure, social estrangement, morbidity, and mortality.

Task 3 -  Optimism & pessimism—what is the difference? How do they work in practice?

Optimism and pessimism are two contrasting attitudes or outlooks on life. They influence how individuals interpret events, perceive the future, and approach challenges.

Optimists	Pessimists
View challenges as temporary setbacks and believe that positive change is possible	Anticipate the worst-case scenario in various situations
Expect positive results in various aspects of life, such as work, relationships, and personal endeavors	Expect negative outcomes, foreseeing challenges and difficulties in their pursuits
Approach tasks with confidence and a belief that their efforts will lead to success	Doubt their ability to overcome obstacles and may feel less confident in their endeavors
View difficulties as opportunities to learn and grow, maintaining a positive mindset even in challenging circumstances	Struggle more with setbacks, finding it challenging to bounce back from failures. Often interpret events with a negative bias, focusing on potential threats or downsides rather than recognizing positive aspects
Associated with better mental and physical well-being, lower stress levels and better overall health	Associated with a higher risk of stress-related health issues, increased anxiety and depressive symptoms

How Optimism & Pessimism work in practice?

Optimists	Pessimists
Believe in positive Self-Talk (instead of saying "I can't do this, the optimists say, "I will do my best, and I have the ability to handle challenges)	Consistently focus on potential problems. Their self-talk is - "I'll probably fail," or "I'm not good enough."
Set achievable and realistic goals, breaking larger tasks into smaller steps and celebrating progress along the way	Catastrophize (magnify the negative consequences of events or situations, thinking/ imagining the worst-case scenarios) Downplay their strengths and hesitate to set challenging goals
Focus on Solutions (problem-solving mindset)	Focus excessively on problems (problem-posing mindset)
Treat setbacks and failures as opportunities for learning and growth	Treat setbacks and failures as validation of their view about themselves as losers
Build positive relationships and social connections	Are more prone to social withdrawal
Help and support others	Do not believe that they can help and support others
Reflect on past successes	Ruminate/ dwell on negative experiences.
Maintain healthy lifestyle	May suffer from sadness, anxiety, stress, depression etc

Task 4 - Is there such a thing as realistic optimism? Realistic pessimism?

Realistic Optimists	Realistic Pessimists
Maintaining a positive outlook while also acknowledging and dealing with the realities and challenges of life	They don't dismiss positive outcomes but are cautious and realistic about potential challenges
Positive Expectations	Grounded Expectations Anticipating Obstacles
Adaptability	Learning from mistakes
Focus on Solutions	Cautious in decision making
Evidence-Based Positivity	Avoiding Overconfidence
Strategic Planning	Strategic Planning Focus on potential risks and uncertainties

Task 5 - The optimism test - Seligman, Martin E. P. Chapter 6 in Authentic Happiness

I used this link - Penn University

Category	My score	Details
Permanence-Good Events	3 - Moderately pessimistic	People who believe good events have a permanent cause are more optimistic than those who believe they have temporary causes
Pervasiveness-Bad Events	3 - Moderately optimistic	People who make universal (pessimistic) explanations for their failures give up on everything when a failure strikes in one area. People who make specific (optimistic) explanations may become helpless in that one part of their lives, yet march stalwartly on in others
Permanence-Bad Events	2 - Moderately optimistic	People who give up easily believe the causes of the bad events that happen to them are permanent—the bad events will persist, are always going to be there to affect their lives. People who resist helplessness believe the causes of bad events are temporary
Pervasiveness-Good Events	2 - Very pessimistic	The optimist believes good events will enhance everything he does, while the pessimist believes good events are caused by specific factors
Hopefulness	0 - Moderately hopeless	Whether or not we have hope depends on the two dimensions of Permanence and Pervasiveness taken together. Finding permanent and universal causes of good events along with temporary and specific causes for misfortune is the art of hope finding permanent and universal causes for misfortune and temporary and specific causes of good events is the practice of despair

Task 6 - Think optimistically for one day– think pessimistically for one day—write down what happens

Day 1 - Thinking optimistically for one day

The first thing I should do as an Optimist is to prepare for the Optimistic day. 

I should cover all the focus areas of an optimist viz. positive self-talk, setting realistic goals/ celebrating success, positive relationships, helping others, reflecting on past successes, maintaining a healthy lifestyle etc. This ties well with the well-beings that I studied in the previous assignment

This would be my day’s calendar as an optimist

Activity	Well-being covered	Start time
Set up alarm to go to bed early on day zero The optimist has a good night’s sleep	Physical - 1	10-00 PM
Set up alarm to get up early on the Optimism day The optimist starts his/ her day early	NA	04-40 AM
Press snooze button of the alarm and do positive self talk for ten minutes	Emotional - 2
Deep breathing	Emotional	04-50 AM
Meditation	Emotional and Spiritual - 3	05-00 AM
Do exercise Optimist takes care of body	Physical - 4	05-30 AM
Make a millet breakfast - Optimist eats good food	Physical	09-00 AM
Do a 4 km walk Optimist takes care of body	Physical	09-30 AM
Do home chores - clean the fridge and make wife happy	Social - 5	11-30 AM
Read about ETF (Exchange Traded Funds)	Financial - 6	04-00 PM
Make organic home cleaner	Environmental	05-00 PM
Practice elevator speech	Occupational/ Intellectual -7	06-00 PM
Call my uncle/ aunt	Emotional	07-30 PM
Reflect on day’s journey	Emotional	08-30 PM
Write the day’s journal	Emotional	09-30 PM

Day 2 - Thinking pessimistically for one day

I should cover all the attributes of a pessimist viz. Anticipate the worst-case scenario in various situations, expect failures, interpret events with a negative bias etc.

This would be my day’s calendar as a pessimist

Activity	Well-being ignored	Start time
Binge watch a web series until late hours the day before the Pessimist’s day starts	Physical	10-00 PM to 02-00 AM
Set up alarm to get up early at 04-40 AM	NA	-
Face the first failure of the day - Press stop button of the alarm and sleep until 09-00 AM Wake up feeling tired and unmotivated Lie in bed for half an hour thinking about the dreadful day ahead	Emotional	-
Read newspaper for an hour and note down all the negative news Think about each negative piece you noted down Think about each positive news with a bias	Emotional	10-00 AM
Plan a failure - Set time for meditation, skip doing it	Emotional and Spiritual
Plan a failure - Set time for exercise, skip it	Physical
Order late unhealthy breakfast, eat it alone in the bedroom Skip lunch Ruminate on the failures and mistakes of the past when eating	Physical	11-00 AM
Plan a failure - set time for walk and skip doing it, smoke and drink instead	Physical
Do not do any home chores and argue with wife if she asks you to do any task If at all you have to do it, do it with a long face in a clumsy manner	Social
Plan a failure - set time to do something useful and skip doing it Watch movies/ spend time on social media instead	Occupational/ Intellectual
Skip watering the plants and argue with wife that she should do this instead	Environmental/ Social
Do not take any calls from friends and relatives	Emotional
Reflect on day’s journey	Emotional	08-30 PM
Write the day’s journal	Emotional	09-30 PM

Task 7 - Write two questions about this week’s topic

Some thoughts before posing the questions - I liked the ABCDE model. It can definitely be used during a coaching session. I found an article now saying the same.

Can your partner become your happiness coach? If yes, how do we go about it?

How effective are online surveys? (When I did the Optimism survey, my score was moderately pessimistic. This could have been because I did not understand the questions properly)