填空题 A级 A fast-growing body of research is proving that optimism can help you to be healthier and more successful. Pessimism leads, by contrast, to sickness and failure, and is linked to depression and painful shyness. "If we could teach people to think more positively," says psychologist Michael of Yale University, "it would be like inoculating (接种疫苗) them against these mental ills." "Your abilities count," explains psychologist Smith of Harvard University, "but the belief that you can succeed affects whether or not you will." In part, that's because optimists and pessimists deal with the same challenges and disappointments in very different ways. Take for example your job. In a major study, Smith and his colleagues surveyed sales representatives at a big life insurance corporation in New York. They found that the optimists among newly-hired representatives sold 37 percent more insurance than did the pessimists. How did they do it? The secret to an optimist's success, according to Smith, is in his "explanatory style". When things go wrong the pessimist tends to blame himself while the optimist looks for other explanations. He blames the weather, the phone connection, even his friends. When things go right, the optimist takes credit while the pessimist thinks success is due to luck. Negative or positive, it was a self-fulfilling prophecy (预言). "If people feel hopeless," says Smith, "they don't bother to acquire the skills they need to succeed." on the contrast, the optimist feels in control of his own life. If things are going badly, he acts quickly, looking for solutions, and reaching out for advice. So, if you're a pessimist, there's reason for you to change. Positive thinking leads to positive reaction. What you expect from the world, the evidence suggests, is what you're likely to get.