The 2014 general election in India was perhaps the most historic one in recent times. Narendra Modi led his party to an unprecedented landslide victory to become the 15th Prime Minister of India. He is one man who is as strongly supported as he is opposed. In a recent interview with Karan Thapar in a popular TV channel, author Lance Price whose book “the Modi effect” was recently released described this enigmatic man who defied all critics. “He has an indomitable will to succeed and never considered failure as an option”, he said. One may askdoes sheer optimism and positive attitude beget success.In fact, research in the emerging fields of Positive Psychology does affirm it.
The phenomenon of “Pygmalion effect” or the ‘self fulfilling prophecy’is a very popular example of positive thinking or optimism, where believing in something can make it happen. The concept is derived from Ovid’s narrative poem Metamorphoses, which was written around 8 A.D. It is about Pygmalion, a sculptor who created an ivory statue of the ideal woman. The figure was so beautiful that he fell in love with it, but he only wished it had life. He begged the Goddess Aphrodite to breathe life into it and his wish was granted.
The self fulfilling prophecy is also seen when others around us like parents, teachers, friends and partners think positively about our capabilities, which make us believe and see ourselves in a positive light. This in turn reinforces our zeal to succeed.
It has also been found that optimism has a positive impact on mental health of an individual. Optimistic people are found to be less sick, live longer and have happier lives, mainly because positive outlook strengthens immune and cardiovascular systems. As a result their bodies are able to handle life’s stress and strains better and ward off diseases.
Do you think optimism and positive attitude are innate traits or can they be developed?