Optimism

“Optimism supplies the basic energy of civilization.  Optimism doesn’t wait on facts.  It deals with prospects.  Pessimism is a waste of time.”

~Norman Cousins

 

This quote comes from a book that my good friend gave to me for Christmas last year.  I’ve been enjoying it every day.  It is titled, “Positive Quotes for Every Day”, by Patricia Lorenz.  Below is the article her explanation of the quote and I had to share it with all of you:

“Norman Cousins, who edited Saturday Review for more than 30 years, was a great fan of laughter.  After he was diagnosed with a life-threatening form of arthritis, he checked himself out of the hospital and into a hotel.  He hired a nurse to take a sample of his blood, and then he laughed.  He laughed every day over and over while watching funny films and listening to funny albums.  He wanted only funny people in his room.  He and his nurse conducted an experiment and discovered that after five minutes of genuine belly laughter, is immune system cells increase in number and activity by 50 percent.  Cousins turned pessimism into gold-plated optimism.  He lived and laughed for 26 more years.

Today I will laugh at my aches and pains, and I will being to banish any pessimism from my being.”

 

I think that, by laughing and having a positive attitude, we gain many physical health benefits.  I think that our attitude impacts on our immune system.  I think our psyche can change our health. 

 

(Photo from Microsoft Free Images)