You may use this image in your ezine or website if you choose to publish my article. Click here to see the picture full-sized.--- Gary Lavine, PhD

From political campaigns to late night infomercials, it seems 
like the general public is obsessed with the benefits of having a 
positive mental attitude.  However, thanks to their training in 
dealing with observable phenomena, scientists can often have a 
tough time grappling with the whole concept of a positive mental 
attitude.  by its very nature, people's attitudes tend to be 
complex and hard to quantify.  And while there have been lots of 
studies, we're unlikely to see a solidly designed double-blind 
study on the effects of a positive attitude.  Of course, part of 
the problem is that this is a complex topic, everyone's attitudes 
are continually changing and there seems to be quite a bit of 
variability in the definitions of good attitudes.  Who's to say 
whether a relentlessly cheerful person has a positive attitude or 
is just ignoring reality?  Despite these inherent difficulties, I 
will take a rational look at the value of maintaining a positive 
mental attitude.

For the purposes of this article, I am defining a person with 
a positive mental attitude as someone with three specific 
characteristics.  First, they maintain a positive perspective. 
At any given time we are all surrounded with a wide variety of 
events competing for our attention. A positive perspective makes 
it easier to focus on the most useful things and expect good 
things to happen.  Second, they tend to believe in their 
abilities and believe that they have some control over there 
destiny.  With this attitude firmly in place it is only natural 
to display persistence even in the most trying of conditions. 
Finally, they have a clear view of reality and work towards a 
purpose that goes beyond merely finishing the task of the moment. 
Now that we have a basic definition of what makes up a positive 
attitude, we can begin to work towards a better understanding of 
how this type of attitude can enhance our lives.

One way to learn about the benefits of a positive attitude is to 
simply examine our immediate environment – the people around us 
and our personal experiences.  As you consider the attitudes of 
the various people you know and the level of their success, you 
can begin to get some idea of the power of a positive attitude. 
Of course we all know that correlation does not prove causation, 
but it can be an interesting bit of information in any case. 
Another set of clues can come from examining your own past and 
studying when you were the most effective and successful.  On 
average, you will probably find that you have had more success 
when you had the best attitude.  Of course, even the best 
attitude won't immunize you from setbacks.  However, with a 
strong attitude you can be better prepared to handle what life 
throws your way.

A second way to evaluate the worth of positive mental attitude is 
to determine exactly how a positive mental attitude may be 
beneficial.  Just as you would want any drug you took to have a 
well understood mode of action, it make sense to be sure that 
there is a reasonable chance that any philosophy you would adapt 
would be worth the trouble.  Perhaps the best way to understand 
the power of a positive mental attitude is to establish a 
mechanistic understanding of how a positive attitude can support 
you.  With the right attitude you simply can withstand more 
adversity.  For many years Olympic athletes have been exerting 
significant effort to develop just the right attitude to push 
themselves to achieve just a little bit more in training so that 
they can prevail when it comes time for competition.  If the 
right attitude can help these elite athletes to push themselves 
to the limit of endurance, it should also be able to help you get 
through a tough day!  Another important consideration is that 
people with positive attitudes can have an easier time getting 
along with different types of people.  This ability to get along 
with many people is very useful when it comes time to network or 
request assistance from others.  Finally, having a positive 
attitude can simply be more fun.  Dealing with a stressful 
situation is much easier when, instead of getting bogged down in 
negative thinking, you can see the positive aspects and laugh at 
the absurd.

Maintaining a positive mental attitude can be a very powerful 
tool in the development of a successful career in science.  As 
a scientist, it is critical to always be able to always bring 
a critical frame of mind to any idea or data interpretation. 
However, when dealing with the frustrations of experiments that 
are not working or other possible distractions, a positive 
outlook can help you respond in the most effective way possible. 
You may be surprised by how a positive mental attitude can help 
you to effectively solve problems and seek out new opportunities. 
In the end you might well experiment with maintaining a positive 
attitude, after all you have nothing to lose except perhaps a bad 
attitude. 

Gary Lavine, PhD
"How This Scientist Discovered Strategies to take his career to 
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