ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, September 21, 1996 TAG: 9609230038
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A7 EDITION: METRO
THE NEWS that wiped the smiles right off our faces was Friday's item reporting that unhappy people do better work than cheerful ones. A Norwegian study found that cheery optimists overestimate their abilities, underestimate problems, and tend to settle for simple solutions.
The less-confident, glum guys are propelled by worry to look deeper, for more creative solutions.
The office got unusually somber for a Friday.
But then, immersed in our new insecurities, we got to worrying about the validity of the study. To begin with, a study of happiness in Scandinavia? Give us a break.
And this was, after all, just one study. Scientists are always complaining that the news media hype research that isn't definitive. This pessimistic hypothesis will have to be tested many times before we'll put much stock in it, and perhaps in places where it isn't pitch dark outside half the year.
The mood has brightened, but we don't want to underestimate the unbearable lightness of being gloomy. We've settled on cautious optimism heading into the weekend.
LENGTH: Short : 29 linesby CNB