Summary of Martin E. P. Seligman's Learned Optimism

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:#1 The father was upset that his newborn daughter did not respond to noise.

He was sure she was deaf. The mother explained to him that it was too soon to say anything like that, and that the baby's eyes hadn't yet developed enough to focus on anything.#2 The difference between optimists and pessimists is how they view bad events.

Pessimists believe that bad events will last a long time, are their own fault, and believe that they can never overcome them.

Optimists believe that defeat is not their fault, and that circumstances, bad luck, or other people are to blame.#3 The core of pessimism is helplessness, which is the state of affairs in which nothing you choose affects what happens to you.

Personal control is the ability to change things by your voluntary actions, whereas helplessness is the state of affairs in which nothing you choose affects what happens to you.#4 If we are constantly pessimistic, we will be more likely to get sick, accomplish less than our potential, and graduate less than we should.

We will also believe that our misfortunes are our own fault, which will make us feel even worse.