TEXT
Learning Optimism
Over ten years ago I came across a book that caught my eye. At the time I did not recognized the author by name and I was not familiar with his work. The title, however, intrigued me and it ran through my head over and over before I actually acquired a copy of the book for myself. The author was Martin Seligman and the book was Learned Optimism.
I had always assumed that people were either born optimistic, pessimistic, or somewhere in between. Learned Optimism was a paradigm shift for me. The notion that people could learn to be optimistic was fascinating. I quickly read the book and added it to my bookshelf.
Fast forward about ten years. I was sitting in my office and my boss dropped a book on my desk. He said that he thought I would find it interesting. As I read this new book there seemed to be something familiar in its pages. When I read Chapter 6: Optimism About the Future, the author referenced his prior work – none other than Learned Optimism. This new book was Authentic Happiness and its author was again Martin Seligman.
I finally decided to find out more about this researcher. I found that he was associated with the University of Pennsylvania. When I went to UPENN’s website, I discovered the inaugural Masters of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program and immediately applied. I not only learned about optimism and its importance and power, but I learned how to be more optimistic.
http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/doug-turner/2007011536
