“To mortal eyes, you, Hope, do seem
a form divinely sweet;
but eyes of gods can pierce the dream
and see your blind deceit.”
(Vörösmarty Mihály: To Hope. Translated by Watson Kirkconnell) Source: Babelmatrix
Those poets always find something to lament. Yet this gloomy Eastern European worldview seems to be refuted by science. I don't know if you believe in the craft or religion or whatever called science. I happen to like certain aspects of it, with all those exciting inventions, the professor's lab with mysterious devices, space travel, fantastic new horizons, curiosity, a deep desire to discover the secrets of the world. Animal experiments, on the other hand, are definitely not among those parts of science we can approve of. The results of experiments already performed, however, can be used to better understand the world. Several scientific experiments seem to suggest that hope and positive expectations do play a significant role in the lives of creatures.
Source: Faris Mohammed, Unsplash
Curt P. Richter's widely quoted experiment of 1957 cannot be described as outlandishly humane, but it does give rise to some interesting conclusions. The researchers had the idea of investigating how long laboratory and wild rats placed in water would survive. The animals were placed in a glass container filled with water in which their feet did not touch ground and from which they could not escape. Survival time varied on a rather extreme scale, indicating that the determining factor was not physical strength. But what? The researchers observed that specimens that had previously been kept in a confined space and had no experience of escape gave up in as little as fifteen minutes. On the other hand, those that had been given more freedom of movement before, and had been “rescued” from the situation a few times previously, would tread water for up to 60 hours.
For another experiment the evil researchers used dogs. In Martin Seligman's 1967 study, they divided the poor pooches into three groups. Group 1 was the control group, put in the same situation but not harmed. Dogs in group 2 were given electric shocks at random times, which they could terminate by pressing a lever. At the same time, the dogs in group 3 also received the shock, which they were unable to switch off. The shock could only be terminated by another dog in group 2. Dogs in group 3 were thus completely at the mercy of a force independent and unknown to them. So far so good?
The dogs were then placed in kennels where they could easily escape the unexpected shock by crossing a small barrier. The dogs in groups 1 and 2 learned this quickly, but most of the dogs in groups 3 did not. They just lay there and howled when the pain came. Seligman called this phenomenon “learned helplessness”.
Dogs in group 2 learn to escape easily. Source: Rose M. Spielman, Wikimedia Commons
Later, similar experiments were carried out on humans, although they were not electroshocked, just subjected to an unpleasant noise. The results were similar. Seligman then wrote a book with the title Learned optimism which can be downloaded free from this link.
Sad poets have been humming their sad songs for ages. What prerogative do they have to set the mood of society? Why shouldn’t we follow the optimists instead, now that even science backs them up?
You can say, oh, yes, but no use, after all, the popular movement in Chile was crushed by the CIA. Actually that's only true on one level. Those people created a societal blueprint that will always be with us. The solidarity, the energy, the enthusiasm of that magical era has become a common treasure of humanity that anyone can draw on. Perhaps that revolutionary momentum is what will save us at some point. We think that poets have less influence than generals, but the latter are also driven by ideas. Could it be a good idea to switch to mantras that lead us to good places?
When doing that it pays to avoid the snake biting its own tail. “Darn, I know I should be more optimistic, I'm such a loser...” “Oh, I've failed to be optimistic again... Everyone else knows how to be happy except me...” You're perfectly free to mope around if it cheers you up. Let's face it, sometimes it feels good to be grumpy. It's just that it’s good to realize what’s happening. “Oh, it’s me doing it. Well, that might have been enough for this week.”
Unlike science, which tends to think of itself as objective, NLP simply seeks to reproduce patterns of excellence, recreating patterns that are useful for a purpose. An NLP modeler would be interested in the inner representation of optimism. What kind of image can keep you tread water for days in an apparently hopeless situation? What kind of inner voice reminds you to keep looking in a seemingly familiar situation, to seize the opportunities that arise? Just because you couldn't escape being electroshocked in the past doesn’t mean you can’t do it now. Just because you’ve been rejected by half a dozen attractive mates doesn’t mean there isn’t one out there waiting just for you. How do you keep that in mind when that person is nowhere in sight?
Source: Liridon Shala, Pixabay
I think it's easier to start with scientific optimism in a small way. In an everyday situation, like when you see a bus coming and you're not sure if you can catch it. Do you run? Ah, I'd rather just walk, you say to yourself, and get the next one. That's perfectly fine if you're honest with yourself. Or it could be an example of “sour grapes“. If you do want to catch the bus, you might as well run for it. Let's say you don’t make it, the doors slam in your face and the vehicle leaves without you. Have you lost anything? You got some healthy circulation flowing, your muscles are bulging with power, you feel alive and you know you can trust yourself as you did your best.
Source: Joe Caione, Unsplash
If you don't run, you will definitely miss the bus. Running opens up multiple outcomes. Besides, when I think back, I can’t remember a single time in the last few years when I ran and didn't catch the bus. There were, however, quite a few occasions when I didn't even try, realizing in a minute that I would have made it. Running to catch the bus is not only motivating yourself; it's also signalling your intentions to the driver, and most will hang on for a few seconds. Even in Budapest.
In some situations communication has an even greater role. If a cop in a foreign country might not like what you do, a good strategy is to approach them with a happy smile and ask for help or directions. Depending on the culture they may or may not be overtly friendly, but once you've become mates, they’re much more likely to let you hitchhike in a forbidden zone or camp on the beach. If you congruently assume that the other person is a good human being, you are way more likely to elicit that quality. A polite phrase or two in their language always comes in handy.
How about Hungarian police officers? — you might ask cynically. Can they not be good people?
Well, all human beings are good at heart, but some people are also good at hiding this magnificent quality from themselves and others. That's where past experiences come into the picture, in this case with the communist era police. If you have been socialized to fear cops, it’ll be harder to scrape together your optimism when dealing with them. Actually, when I think back, even then you could meet decent faces under those unattractive visors. Border police helped me catch rides countless times. If projection increases the chances of something happening, why not project something you want to happen? Of all the cultures I know, I think Hungarians are the most pessimistic. Yeah, it's so romantic, this collective hanging of the head, but I just can’t get excited about it any more. What a change it’ll be when instead of all that groaning we get some happy lilting voices, and the energy, humor and ingenuity that have been repressed is released.
Now I should be detailing some recipes for optimism, but perhaps questions are worth more. What color is optimism, by the way? YouTube eavesdropped on us, though, and just now suggested an amateur video excerpt of a rock concert. In the break between two songs, the singer says: “This kid here keeps holding up a sign: ‘Let me play guitar with you.’ How old are you? (Ten.) Do we have another guitar, guys? All right, come on up.”
He wants to play a song by another band but the singer knows it and joins in. Needless to say, it’s a resounding success. The part I like most is where the singer says, “Can you really play? You made a sign.”
Yes, the sign... I'm going to make one myself.1 I'll put myself up for a happy experience. What about you?
I’ll let you know about it later.