Why is your attitude, the outlook with which you face the world, so important? Lots of people are convinced that their experiences determine their attitude. (“She canceled lunch and it ruined my day.”) Actually, the opposite is true (surprise!) – your attitude determines how you respond to your experiences.
Some common questions include: Is having a positive or negative attitude genetic? Is it hard to change a person’s attitude? The short answer to both questions is yes. You know people who seem to be perennially positive (my husband, for example), and others (like me) who seem to have a negative predisposition. The most common theory in the scientific community is that both nature (genetics) and nurture (environment) make significant contributions to our attitude.
According to psychologist Ed Diener, our capacity for happiness has a ‘baseline’ measure with some people having a natural tendency to be cheerier than others. I always thought that my husband was just luckier than me. Now I know better; he simply chooses to look for what’s right and good in whatever happens to him. I’m taking lessons from him.
I’ve read that about half of our baseline is genetic and 10% is our circumstances/environmental, which leaves about 40% totally within our control.
So go ahead, turn on the 40% you do possess to take charge of your attitude and live a more positive life!
by Kathleen Vestal Logan, MS, MA February 11, 2019