Optimism Cultivating the Magic Quality that Can Extend Your Lifespan, Boost Your Energy, and Make You Happy Now

There are people who can lift the spirits of a packed sports stadium with the radiant optimism of their personalities. What does it take to live your life so full of joy that you jump out of bed each morning, eager to pour the magic of your spirit into the day?The surprising answer, from many optimists, is that this is not an innate characteristic. It is a learned skill. They might tell you that they were born into great difficulty, and faced daunting challenges, but that they kept cultivating good habits, uplifting thoughts, and clear goals, persevering through difficulties to create the life they desired. Psychological research has now demonstrated that optimism is a skill that can be learned, in the same way that working out in a gym enlarges your muscles. Optimists do certain things differently. As well as being happier, scientific research shows that they're much healthier physically, and live an astounding seven to thirteen years longer than pessimists.

Dawson Church, PhD, is an award-winning author whose best-selling book, The Genie in Your Genes, has been hailed as a breakthrough in the field of epigenetics. He has published numerous scientific papers, with a focus on the remarkable self-healing mechanisms now emerging at the intersection of emotion and gene expression. He applies these breakthroughs to health and athletic performance through EFT Universe.com, which is one of the largest alternative medicine sites on the web. He was educated at Baylor University and Holos University, where he earned his doctorate under the tuition of Harvard-trained neurosurgeon Norm Shealy, MD, PhD, with whom he co-authored Soul Medicine: Awakening Your Inner Blueprint for Abundant Health and Energy. He is editor emeritus of the peer-reviewed journal Energy Psychology: Theory, Research & Treatment, and founded the nonprofit National Institute for Integrative Healthcare to research and train practitioners in energy psychology. He works with businesses and sports teams to achieve peak performance; he no longer accepts private clients but instead refers them to the certified practitioners at EFT Universe.