Most people would define optimism as being endlessly happy, with a glass that’s perpetually half full. But that’s exactly the kind of false cheerfulness that positive psychologists wouldn’t recommend. “Healthy optimism means being in touch with reality,” says, Tal Ben-Shahar, a Harvard professor .According to Ben-Shahar, realistic optimists are those who make the best of things that happens, but not those who believe everything happens for the best.
Ben-Shahar uses three optimistic exercises. When he feels down---say, after giving a band lecture—he grants himself permission to be human. He reminds himself that not every lecture can be a Nobel winner, some will be less effective than others. Next is reconstruction. He analyzes the weak lecture, learning lessons for the future about what works and what doesn’t. Finally, there is perspective, which involves acknowledging that in the grand scheme of life, one lecture really doesn’t matter.
大多数人可能把乐观定义为无休止的快乐,就像水杯中永远有半杯水一样。但是这确实是对欢乐错误的定义,这是积极的心理学家们所不推崇的。“健全的乐观意味着要与事实相结合。”哈佛大学的教授塔尔•班夏哈这样说道。根据塔尔•班夏哈的观点, 现实的乐观主义者是指能够充分利用既定事实的人们,而不是认为所有的事情都会有最好的结果。
塔尔•班夏哈运用了乐观的三步。（首先,）当他感觉不好的时候—比如,在结束一场糟糕的演讲后,他坦然承认自己只是很普通的人。他提醒自己,并不是每次演讲都能获得诺贝尔奖,一些演讲可能没有其他的有效（并不是所有演讲都有效）。其次,就是自我重建,他分析差的演讲,为以后的演讲学习哪些可以有助于演讲而哪些不行。最后,就是透视法,那就是必须承认在宏伟的人生蓝图中,一次演讲真的什么都不算。
