2008 Woodie Awards
Half-empty or half-full?
Negative, positive outlooks can have impact on college experience, success
Bryan Bergeron
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: FUSE
Originally published: 4/3/08 at 7:03 PM EST
Last update: 4/3/08 at 7:07 PM EST
Are you a "glass half-full" or "glass half-empty" kind of person?
In the long run, having a positive attitude towards life will help you not only in your college experience, but also in your whole life in general.
A person's attitude is critical - not only in regards to academics, but in all aspects of one's life, Dale Phillips, Plattsburgh State psychology professor, said.
People who look at life in a positive light tend to be more active and spend more time in a happy state of mind. Having a positive attitude also contributes to having more positive relationships with your family and friends, Phillips said.
People who tend to look at life with a negative outlook, on the other hand, have cognitive dysfunctions, Phillips said, which cause these people to notice more of the negative stimuli around them. Rather than noticing blue skies and sunshine around them, these people will instead see mud or dead trees, he said.
These negative stimuli will force kids not to see the positive aspects involved in the college experience. Phillips said this is very sad, since the college years are supposed to be the most fun years of your life.
Your academic studies are also something that could be drastically affected by the attitude that you have in life.
Phillips said sometimes students aren't really interested in the classes that they are taking, and they are simply doing what they have to do to get by.
By having a positive outlook, however, a student can become more interested in and more curious about what they are studying. Phillips said this can lead to a student doing better in his or her studies.
"People who are negative simply tend to be incurious."
Edward Sturman, a psychology professor at the Queensbury branch of PSUC, agrees with Phillips' statements, saying that positive attitudes allow students to become more successful.
"Positive attitudes can create a snowball effect in a way," Sturman said. "As these positive attitudes lead people to more successes, you become more and more confident in your abilities and this facilitates success."
In the long run, having a positive attitude towards life will help you not only in your college experience, but also in your whole life in general.
A person's attitude is critical - not only in regards to academics, but in all aspects of one's life, Dale Phillips, Plattsburgh State psychology professor, said.
People who look at life in a positive light tend to be more active and spend more time in a happy state of mind. Having a positive attitude also contributes to having more positive relationships with your family and friends, Phillips said.
People who tend to look at life with a negative outlook, on the other hand, have cognitive dysfunctions, Phillips said, which cause these people to notice more of the negative stimuli around them. Rather than noticing blue skies and sunshine around them, these people will instead see mud or dead trees, he said.
These negative stimuli will force kids not to see the positive aspects involved in the college experience. Phillips said this is very sad, since the college years are supposed to be the most fun years of your life.
Your academic studies are also something that could be drastically affected by the attitude that you have in life.
Phillips said sometimes students aren't really interested in the classes that they are taking, and they are simply doing what they have to do to get by.
By having a positive outlook, however, a student can become more interested in and more curious about what they are studying. Phillips said this can lead to a student doing better in his or her studies.
"People who are negative simply tend to be incurious."
Edward Sturman, a psychology professor at the Queensbury branch of PSUC, agrees with Phillips' statements, saying that positive attitudes allow students to become more successful.
"Positive attitudes can create a snowball effect in a way," Sturman said. "As these positive attitudes lead people to more successes, you become more and more confident in your abilities and this facilitates success."
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