Whether we’re optimists or pessimists comes down to what he calls our “explanatory styles”—how we explain what’s happening in our world. Specifically, in this model, it comes down to three P’s: Permanence, Pervasiveness and Personalization. The exciting news is that mastering our explanatory styles (like anything else) just takes practice. Next time you feel yourself getting swept away by a negative event or not fully appreciating a positive one, see if you can fine tune your P’s, please.
