Living well with a chronic illness

[Jackie07]

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/05/5-rules-living-chronic-illness.html

[Jackie07]

The Sience of Optimism

The featured article of the June 6, 2011 issue of the Time magazine reports the 'optimism bias'. It attempts to answer the question: "Why our brain tilt toward the positive?"

An anatomy of the brain describes how 'Silver linings are the result of activity deep within our brains. A Smiley face sticker on the top corner of one page states: "Optimists work longer hours and tend to earn more. They even save more."

Another 'Smiley' states that "Without a neural mechanism that generates unrealistic optimism, all humans would be mildly depressed."

The author believes "knowledge is the key." "Once we understand our optimistic illusions, we can act to protect ourselves. "The good news is that awareness rarely shatters the illustion. "It is possible, then, to strike a balance, to believe we will stay healthy, but get health insurance anyway; to be certain the sun will shine, but grab an umbrella on our way out - just in case."