Optimism is more necessary than ever, and understanding how other cultures approach life’s trials and joys may help us achieve contentment
If you read the paper or look at the news online without becoming depressed about the state of humanity – or make it through your social media feeds before your mood lurches to despair – well done you. You are a beautiful anomaly. For everyone else: huddle in. It’s tough out there and it can be easy to get the idea that the world is getting more miserable by the minute, that we’re all becoming more isolationist and that these are bleak times indeed. Because when things are ticking along nicely, there’s very little to report. Negativity bias means that, as human beings, we experience “bad” events more intensely than we do the “good” – and we also remember them more. So we have to work hard to remain hopeful – or we can’t make things better.
Optimism isn’t frivolous: it’s necessary. If we feel hopeless all the time, if we’re always in crisis, the natural response is to give up and stop trying altogether. But we can’t let snark or apathy win. We can be aware of the bad whilst being mindful of how we can make it better. And there are people all around the world finding meaning and happiness every day, both in countries that top the global happiness surveys and in those that don’t.
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