Survey Finds the Whole World is Optimistic
"…optimism is a universal phenomenon."
EDITOR'S NOTE: There are verses from the Bible that seem to underline the importance of having an optimistic outlook, such as, "Let not your heart be troubled…" or "…a merry heart does good like a medicine." But what comes to my mind when I read this article is the word picture Jesus gave in Luke 11:34 when He said, "The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness." The "eye" or the way we view things affects our entire life—our entire body. If our viewpoint is "good"—lines up with the One who alone is good—then our whole body is "full of light." I love that. That is what I desire to walk in… the light of the Lord. Certainly, optimism is a wonderful side effect of this, as His peace that "passes all understanding" guards our "heart and mind." –Aimee Herd, BCN.
(USA)—Despite current economic woes around the world, a new study based on global survey data finds optimism to be universal.
According to a story on LiveScience.com, "sunny outlooks" are most prevalent in Ireland, Brazil, Denmark, and New Zealand. The United States ranks No. 10 in its optimistic outlook. (Photo Courtesy: garrisonphoto.org/sxc/)
The LiveScience story says that nearly 90 percent of people around the globe expect the next five years to be as good or better than life today, the study found. And 95 percent expect their life in five years to be as good or better than it was five years ago.
The study, from the University of Kansas and Gallup, suggests humans are optimistic by nature, the researchers conclude.
"These results provide compelling evidence that optimism is a universal phenomenon," said Matthew Gallagher, a psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas and lead researcher of the study.
The LiveScience article says the results are not entirely surprising.
It states that past studies have found optimism to be a common human trait.
It also said people tend to expect to live longer and be more successful than average, and underestimate their chances of getting divorced, for example.
Another study found that optimism tends to increase with age.
