PREVIOUS: Resilience – Thinking  #1

SITE: “Basic differences between Optimists, Pessimists & Realists”

MENTAL RESILIENCE (cont)
Being mentally resilient gives us ‘response flexibility’ – the ability to pause > step back > reflect > shift perspectives > create options > & choose wisely.  Psychologist Linda Graham calls this process ‘de-centering’ – a way to not get lost in the moment. Then we can observe the experience from a neutral standpoint, & try to solve the problem – using appropriate thinking, instead of acting on impulse.

As a starting point for this ability – think about a child when very upset – just crying, pouting or raging. An attentive, caring parent could say “Use your words! Tell me what’s bothering you. What hurts? ! ”
Once the child is old enough to form thoughts & has a basic knowledge of emotion words – this can be very beneficial.
Taking a breath & the time to identify feelings & thoughts effectively switches the brain from the emotional narrative side (Right) to the observational, thinking side (Left).
This is not to deny or suppress the child’s upset, but rather it will teach them to find balance, which  promotes resilience.

“Living well is the best revenge” includes keeping a realistic sense of optimism, by accurate & flexible thinking in each situation. Reframing how we think about stressful events & correcting any cognitive distortion helps make hard times turn out better, in spite of unfair & undeserved suffering.

Dr. Martin Seligman put together the ABC model of “Learned Optimism“:
“Beliefs (B) about an adversity (A) – not the adversity itself – cause the consequent (C) feelings. (see Post)
This means that external events do not automatically cause our Emotions – since what bothers one person is neutral to another. Actually, Reactive Emos come from what we think about painful events – which can be modified or changed. (More…..)

All forms of resilience require a certain level of maturity. Most of us are some combination of the following categories (Least to Most ‘psychologically/ spiritually’ mature) & we can even switch between them during the day.

OPPORTUNISTS – are very adaptable, seeing possibilities everywhere they can take advantage of, with little regard to how it affects others (think Quark of DS9)

PESSIMISTS – are either ‘addicted’ to a deprivation mentality, or skeptical worriers who need proof that something’s safe before they agree with an idea, take on a task, a relationship, a new way of life….

REALISTS – are independent, practical-minded & excellent problem-solvers. They see things as they are, without sugar-coating

OPTIMISTS – generally look on the brightest side, appreciating every little thing, & tend not to ‘understand’ anyone who’s depressed & negative (think Goldie Hawn or Jenna Elfman – in their early yrs)

IDEALISTS – look for things that have deeper meanings, working to form genuine relationships. They have a bright outlook on the future, but aren’t always realistic. Helping & seeing others succeed brings them joy.

NOTE: What the top cartoon ↖️ does not include is that when Optimists are punched by life – they get up again & move on!
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Pessimism  (P) & Optimism (O) on the brain
Neuro-scientists studying Ps & Os (with college students in the West) noticed that several parts of the brain (IFG=inferior frontal gyrus, the amygdala & anterior cingulate cortex) were activated differently when subjects were shown negative, neutral or positive images.
One result seen in these 2 scans:
a. When you ‘find out the world is better than you thought’ = updating beliefs in a positive direction,  the brain showed increased activity in the left IFG.
b. When ‘finding out the world is worse than you thought’ = updating beliefs in a negative direction, pessimists’ brains showed significant decreased activation in the right IFG.  The worse the participant’s mood (from a questionnaire), the higher the activation in that area.

Comparing Ps & Os, when using updated beliefs in a negative direction, both groups showed some activation in the right IFG, & but the pessimists had significantly less reaction in their left IFG than optimists.
Several other studies have also tied activation in the right IFG to pessimistic thinking.

Neurotransmitter systems also can differentiate Ps from Os. Sufficient Dopamine seems important in maintaining the positive bias, & low Serotonin has been implicated in the negative bias. (MORE….)

BTW – correcting chemical imbalances is the reason for taking meds – although not everyone can take them safely.

NEXT: Resilience – Emotions #1