Being aware that the way you approach reality is important for your life gives you a great power: that of wanting to change it. By treating reality in a positive, constructive, optimistic way, you help yourself to create the ideal conditions to attract opportunities, to have an open and confident vision of the future.

Optimism is a state that some of us are born with and others build over time. People who think optimistically believe that the future will be good, are ready to react positively and act consistently in this direction, thus achieving their goals. Even when it shouldn’t happen, optimists interpret failure as something fleeting, by chance, and put more effort into the next attempt. The gains of an optimism-based lifestyle are certainly appropriate, both at home and in a professional environment.

Here are some of them:

Optimistic people are happier at work: According to a study by the University of Kuwait, optimists are more satisfied, fulfilled, happy with their job than pessimists who tend to complain constantly.

Optimists are healthier: Several studies have shown that optimistic people have a better immune system, get sick less often, are less absent from work, are less stressed and recover faster.

Optimists have more benefits and are promoted more often: during a research conducted at Duke University on a group of people who graduated with a master’s degree in business administration, it was observed that those who thought they would have good opportunities found it easier to work, built a career and have higher salaries than the pessimists.

Optimistic people recover more easily after failures: when they have a defeat, a failure, people are forced to take a step back. Optimists react, however, in a less anxious, stress-free way, knowing that failures are temporary and are usually caused by complex circumstances, seeing only a new opportunity to learn something new. On the other hand, pessimists believe that failures are solely their fault.

Optimists are more resistant to stress: according to a study conducted by Concordia University in Quebec, in crisis situations, optimists produce less cortisol, the main hormone responsible for stress and report a lower perception of stress.

Optimists have happier relationships: moods and emotions are contagious. Optimistic people tend to experience positive emotions that attract equally positive people, mutually reinforcing their experiences. All of this positivity, according to research from the University of Oregon, leads to greater happiness and harmony in the couple and in any type of relationship with people who have a pessimistic thinking style.

Optimists do better in sports: Optimists are not necessarily athletic, but, according to Professor Seligman’s research, they are more involved and ambitious when they are told they could perform better. On the other hand, pessimists, in the face of negative feedback, tend to demoralize and give up sports.

The benefits of an optimistic thinking style far outweigh the disadvantages that pessimism can bring both personally and professionally.

How do you tip the scales: more optimism or rather pessimism?