- There are endless examples of this: the mortality rate of ten per cent is frightening, yet the survival rate of 90 per cent highly reassuring. People may well shy away from the yoghurt with 20 per cent fat, when they will happily reach out for one that is 80 per cent fat-free.
So words hold power, triggering either unease and resistance or quite the opposite, e.g. motivation or euphoria. These linguistic tricks have long been known in politics, advertising, lobbyism. A company would never say “We’re not an agent of climate change”, as it’s the “agent of climate change” that would stick – and who doesn’t recall “Yes, we can!”
Framing effects can already be observed in small children, too. If we call out “Don’t jump!”, the child will initially miss the negation and effectively just hear “Jump!” Much better would be to call out: “Stop!”
But back to virtue and necessity: whether we go through life optimistically or pessimistically in fact has to do with our childhood. It relates to a basic sense of trust which we may have experienced (“It’ll work out!”) and with our role models. Way back when, did our father agonise: “Oh no, the circus only starts in an hour, how annoying – there was no reason to have left in such a rush!” Or did he announce with shining eyes that now there’d be time for an ice cream and to get the best seats? This perception and way of thinking influences us.
Anyone who has grown up pessimistically can become an optimist at any time or at least become more optimistic. The intermediate step: become more rational! Look at the situation quite realistically, rather than lapsing into the “oh no, oh my God, oh dear!” And then: look for the good. This means asking yourself sincerely: does this have advantages? Psychologists advise neo-optimists who are still practising to avoid spending time with pessimists, as they can crush their fledgling courage with their “anti” attitude and fault-finding. And courage, too, is a virtue that you need in order to recognise and seize opportunities.
Perhaps a small incentive in challenging times: optimists are not just happier, more satisfied and more successful, they also live longer. US physicians at Boston University were able to demonstrate this in a study two years ago. A clear case: bye-bye crisis mode – long live the positive message!