Cultivate optimism by doing what optimists do, even if you’re not feeling optimistic.

New survey shows we're a planet of optimists.

05-27-09 RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Economic disaster. Nuclear testing. Terrorist threats. Global warming. Dancing with the Stars. With all this going on, one might be forgiven for concluding that apocalypse is just a week or two away. But a new survey that sampled populations all over the world finds that, overwhelmingly, humanity has an optimistic outlook. The report was conducted by researchers from the University of Kansas using data from the ongoing Gallup World Poll, which is described as a representative sample of 95 percent of the world’s population.

THE DETAILS: Data showed that about 89 percent of people expect the next five years to be as good, or better, than life today. And 95 percent of people think that their lives in the next five years will be better than they were five years ago. Optimism rates varied among the 140 countries surveyed, with Ireland, Brazil, Denmark, and New Zealand showing the highest, and Haiti and Bulgaria among the lowest. The United States ranked tenth on the list.

WHAT IT MEANS: Optimism seems to be a universal phenomenon, according to the study authors. Which is a good thing, since other research has linked optimism to a longer life, lower rates of heart disease, and fewer incidents of health problems after stressful events like the death of a spouse.

Here are some ways to cultivate more optimism in your life, and perhaps reap the benefits that come with rose-colored glasses:

• Be grateful. One study found that focusing on gratitude increased people’s feeling of optimism. Follow the advice of Rodale.com advisor Jeffery Rossman, PhD, on keeping a gratitude journal, taking gratitude breaks, and using other strategies to increase your daily gratitude quotient. Bonus: Gratitude increases happiness and counteracts depression.

• Blame somebody else. Pessimists tend to blame themselves when things go wrong; optimists link the problem to some external factor. Of course, you don’t want to be constantly looking for some scapegoat to blame for your troubles. But you can be realistic about your contribution to a setback without letting self-blame keep you from moving forward.

• Do what an optimist would do. Even if you’re not feeling particularly optimistic, you can act as if you are…for example, by continuing to work at a problem (pessimists tend to give up sooner, studies show). Every time this strategy brings about a success, your faux-optimism will become a little less faux. Also helpful: Hang around with optimists. Studies suggest their positive feelings make others feel better.