New York, NY (GroundReport) – According to research done by Martin Seligman, director of clinical training at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and author of ‘Learned Optimism’, in a longitudinal study of school children, those scoring highest for pessimism were most likely later to suffer depression. High scores for optimism are predictive of excellence in everything from sports to life-insurance sales.
Seligman developed an Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ), ranking individuals on an optimism-pessimism scale.
"I used to be an agent of both truth and happiness,’ says Seligman in a report by globalideasbank.com.
He adds, "That’s still a central premise of most therapists. But research in our lab and others is increasingly challenging that view. Even when offered a monetary incentive for accuracy, optimists consistently overestimate their ability. Optimists have a set of self-serving illusions that enable them to maintain good cheer and health in a universe essentially indifferent to their welfare."
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