Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, developed the idea of “learned optimism,” which holds that humans may develop an optimistic outlook. He says that having a happier perspective on life puts us in a far better position to improve our well-being.
Simply put, acquired optimism is the idea that, among other things, we can modify our mindset and actions by identifying and confronting our negative self-talk. In addition, Seligman’s well-known book with a slightly deeper exploration of the notion bears the same title. The concept of learned optimism is closely related to positive psychology. It is the antithesis of learned helplessness, which is the belief that one cannot alter one’s circumstances despite going through a stressful event repeatedly (Learned Optimism: Is Martin Seligman’s Glass Half Full? 2019).
According to the tenets of positive psychology, learned optimism is not a fixed attribute or a component of our nature, but rather a function of how we interpret the world. More so, it’s better understood as a...
