The Whole World Is Optimistic, Survey Finds

**Beetle** · May 30th, 2009, 02:53

The Whole World Is Optimistic, Survey Finds

By LiveScience Staff
posted: 24 May 2009 10:47 am ET

Despite current economic woes, a new study based on global survey data finds optimism to be universal. Sunny outlooks are most prevalent in Ireland, Brazil, Denmark, and New Zealand.
The United States ranks No. 10.
Nearly 90 percent of people around the globe expect the next five years to be as good or better than life today, the study found. And 95 percent expect their life in five years to be as good or better than it was five years ago.
The study, from the University of Kansas and Gallup, suggests humans are optimistic by nature, the researchers conclude.
"These results provide compelling evidence that optimism is a universal phenomenon," said Matthew Gallagher, a psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas and lead researcher of the study.
The results are not entirely surprising. Past studies have found optimism to be a common human trait. People tend to expect to live longer and be more successful than average, and underestimate their chances of getting divorced, for example.
Optimism tends to increase with age, another study found.
Optimism is good for you. A decade-long study published in 2004 found that those with brighter outlooks had a 55 percent lower risk of death during the study period.

Optimism is lowest in Zimbabwe, Egypt, Haiti and Bulgaria, the new survey found.
The results, based on survey data from 140 countries and more than 150,000 adults, will be presented today at the annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science in San Francisco.

**Beetle** · May 30th, 2009, 03:10

Hey Rick,

I think the study is questionable. I mean nobody asked me. Plus, we are half a Gazillion dollars in debt and we seem to be printing more. We want to bust the CIA and others for protecting all of us. We want to bring terrorist to our turf. We are socialising the car industry and our banking system. Another person who will legislate from the bench is heading to the SCOTUS. We should be last in the survey. We were 10th. I am thinking the study is questionable.

Although, I am thinking that Biden and Obama will make things so bad, the American people will wake up and put some good Conservatives in Congress and the White House in the coming elections. So, I have a lot of optimism in regards to that. I just hate to go through the pain to get there.

**Ryan Ruck** · May 30th, 2009, 06:10

What can you say, "Ignorance is bliss!"

**Beetle** · May 30th, 2009, 14:23

Originally Posted by Ryan Ruck

What can you say, "Ignorance is bliss!"

Good idea. I'll drink until I am ignorant.

**vector7** · June 1st, 2009, 17:37

**American Patriot** · June 1st, 2009, 17:41

Honestly?

I've lived in this country all my life, more than 50 years. I've been to 45 other countries and MOST of them, the vast, vast majority are places that might be nice to visit (the tourist traps) but honest to God, living there? No freakin' way.

If I had no money, and were a bum and could live off a couple fish a day, I'd be happy to hang out in Jamaica and not worry mon! but to live there to make a living? I don't think so at all.

Unless I had a means to live off a local economy in another country - I'll stick to the good old USA until I don't NEED to live off the economy.

At my age - I'd say that as pessimistic as I've been - I'm honestly pretty OPTIMISTIC about life and the future. Why?

Because, Obama ain't gonna stay President for more than eight years - and I've heard the exact same horror stories about Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Reagan, Bush, Bush and Ford, Nixon and all their VPs. Including Cheney.

So you know, life changes. We live and learn and people change. The entire generation of idiots we have right now helping to run things will get older and they will see eventually (or die trying) how idiotic it is to believe in Socialism.

Perhaps they will change things to a point where it is horrible. That's when the rest of us wake up, kick some ass, push things back to the status quo and move on with our lives.

honestly... can it get worse? North Korean might nuke some one - they probably won't. They might sell their stuff to Iran, they probably will. Iran might nuke Tel Aviv - most likely this WILL happen sooner than later, and in OUR life times.

But, over all will the world fall into a depression? No, I think that was a whole lot of misinformed - and MISINFORMING people making things sound worse than it is. I mean, after all, CAR COMPANIES failing? in America? NO WAY!

But, you know what, it happens. Big companies fold, small companies grow. People who come from the ghetto start places like Starbucks.... yes, there IS hope for the world.

Am I optimistic I will be sailing on the ocean in the Caribbean in a few years and carefree? Well - yes. Completely carefree no, but really - as long as I can afford to buy my boat, get a move on, learn new things, care for myself and my wife - who cares?

If EACH of us did what we wanted in this world we would help the economy, learn and survive. If we don't try, we die.

The human race has been around a long time, as long as we don't get wiped out by a meteor or a nuclear war (even the latter won't kill us all!) then we will continue as we have for thousands of years.

**Beetle** · June 2nd, 2009, 02:29

That is pretty optimistic, Rick. But I am kinda ignorant right now, so don't listen to me. ;-)

Dang, this cool aid is perty good. I wonder what is in it. I gotta go put some Peter Frampton on, now!