Name: ANDREW BRYK's review of Learned Optimism by Martin E. P. Seligman
Item: Learned Optimism
Rating: 4
Author: ANDREW BRYK

Martin E. P. Seligman

An authority on cognitive psychology and motivation documents the positive effects of optimism on the quality of life and provides a program of specific exercises designed to break the pessimism habit while developing an optimistic outlook. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

How to Change Your Mind and Your Life

Learned Optimism

Pranav Mutatkar

ANDREW BRYK

Good read but probably best as a book to read chapters when necessary vs. reading all way through. Many chapter don't apply depending on where you're at in life and will seem repetitive if you read all way through.

Several exercises make the book interactive which was interesting.

If you are unfamiliar with positive psychology, this is a great place to start

Nikolay Bachiyski

Learned Optimism is not a self-help book, it’s based on a lot of scientific research and is not a light read. But worth it.

This book validated so many of my life beliefs, so from now on, it may be the confirmation bias speaking :) Still, here are few pieces I strongly related to.

“The skills of becoming happy turn out to be almost entirely different from the skills of not being sad, not being anxious, or not being angry.” We focus so much on being happy that we forget that not being sad may be more practical and open more doors to being happy. I think I am good example of this – I am bad at being sad and this has helped me at often being moderately happy.

The core idea is that in addition to our talent and our desire to get better at something, success also depends on how we explain why things happen, or our explanation style. There are three aspects of it:

* Personal vs. Impersonal – optimists more often think that if something bad happened it wasn't always them, while pessimists usually blame themselves;
* Specific vs. General – optimists localize bad news to a very specific area, while pessimist often think a small problem will ruin their whole life;
* Temporary vs. Permanent – optimists think it too shall pass, while for pessimists the bad stuff is never going to go away.

Which side are we on affects our lives a lot – from our resilience to failure to our ambition, to our chances to end up sad & depressed.

Of course, a healthy pessimism is much needed sometimes. Those who blame others for their errors are assholes, in addition to optimists. And when errors are costly, pessimism can be a lifesaver, making us think through the worst of outcomes.

Optimism is not a silver bullet, but learning more about it has helped me understand better why I am the person I am. And being more conscious of my explanation style has helped me be more in control of my own actions.

Martin E.P. Seligman

National Bestseller The father of the new science of positive psychology and author of Authentic Happiness draws on more than twenty years of clinical research to demonstrate how optimism enchances the quality of life, and how anyone can learn to practice it. Offering many simple techniques, Dr. Seligman explains how to break an “I—give-up” habit, develop a more constructive explanatory style for interpreting your behavior, and experience the benefits of a more positive interior dialogue. These skills can help break up depression, boost your immune system, better develop your potential, and make you happier.. With generous additional advice on how to encourage optimistic behavior at school, at work and in children, Learned Optimism is both profound and practical–and valuable for every phase of life. "Vaulted me out of my funk.... So, fellow moderate pessimists, go buy this book." —Marian Sandmaier, The New York Times Book Review

Chris G

Unsure if short is a selling point or a drawback but there is a decent amount of actionable content delivered in a relatively compact listen. The format of the book does not suit an audiobook as the 1st chapter requires active participation through a PDF. The work is outstanding but I feel the content has been refined and maybe even superceded since 1991.

Jessica mansourati 

Drew Timms

Sergei Khudovekov

Andy Sporring

Irina 

An authority on cognitive psychology and motivation documents the positive effects of optimism on the quality of life and provides a program of specific exercises designed to break the pessimism habit while developing an optimistic outlook. Reissue.

Pranav Mutatkar &
Learned Optimism by Martin E. P. Seligman

Reviews

Join the club

Pranav Mutatkar &Learned Optimism by Martin E. P. Seligman

Reviews

Join the club

Pranav Mutatkar &
Learned Optimism by Martin E. P. Seligman