Optimism, In The Middle Of A Depression

By now we've all heard that the sky has fallen, which is why CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman couldn't believe the results of a CBS News/ New York Times poll taken before this week's Wall Street rally. It asked, "Do you think the economy is getting better or worse?" You could also pick "staying the same."

Most Americans - 51 percent - thought the economy was getting worse. Only 8 percent thought it was getting better, while 40 percent thought it was staying the same. Hartman wondered: What the heck were these Pollyannas thinking?

To find out, he called one back to arrange an interview.

"Enjoy this beautiful winter day," the answering machine instructed.

It was actually cold and rainy. But inside - this proud member of the 8 percent was waiting for Hartman's visit with juice and homemade lemon meringue pie - and pure, unbridled optimism.

His name is Mark Jastrzembski. He's unmarried and a retired corrections officer.

"The president talked about hope. I've taken that to the next step. Hope means that you want stuff to happen. Faith means you know it's going to happen. I'm a 100 percent certain that things are going to get better in this country," Jastrzembski said.

He lives in Muskegon, Mich. - which makes his survey answer all the more confounding.

"I look around, you know, I'm not blind," he said. "I have 10 to 15 close friends who got laid off."

Fortunately, Jastrzembski said he doesn't need to see hope to believe things are getting better. In fact, quite the opposite - he thinks we need to believe it to see it.

"The problem with the country is that we're not feeling good about ourselves," he said.

There are others like him.

Hartman met Michael Seltzer at a local meeting of the Muskegon Optimists Club. He's in charge of all the Optimist clubs in Michigan. He's also recently unemployed.

"There's something known as a self-fulfilling prophesy, and attitude is a big part of that self-fulfilling prophesy," Seltzer said. "And if everybody you talk to says the economy is getting worse, they can make that happen."

It's true. Economists call it a feedback loop. When people are pessimistic they do less spending and investing. Less spending and investing makes the economy gets worse. A worse economy makes people even more pessimistic, and so on. Does that mean if we could all somehow just believe the economy is getting better that all of a sudden it would? The answer seems to be yes. And no.

Actor and economic commentator Ben Stein says the problem is -- for people who don't think America has the right economic plan -- it's very hard for them to just pretend. To which Jastrzembski says, please, at least try.

"What can we as individual people do to get this economy going? We've got to change this philosophy, change this attitude, start thinking positively," Jastrzembski said.

That may or may not help - but there is new evidence this week that optimistic people are, indeed, more likely to see their 401(k)s make a comeback. Because, as this new study shows -- they live longer.

[toolmangler-2009]

"Will Thinking Positively Help The Economy Rebound?"



Absolutely!!! The "Power of positive thinking" is a documented phenomena. If you 'think' you are going to be sick, you probably will... If you are sick but have an upbeat attitude, you heal faster. This is also a Book by 'Norman Vincent Peale'

[qjehnfdcoblv]

Oops, didn't quite finish the comment below...I was saying, for winter in Michigan, by March, your so sick of seeing Gray skies, dirty snow, and sloppy roads that you'd rather move to Iraq...
Unfortunately, our current economic mess can't be fixed by us all getting happy...It's due to a bubble created by an orgy of spending fueled by personal irresponsibility...You can't deflate a bubble even if you see it coming...It's just human nature to 'jump on for the ride' seeking profits, or spending money you don't have when all around you are doing the same thing...The bubble must burst, and disgorge all of it's 'fantasy profits & fake wealth'.....You think were in a mess now, just wait til the Treasury Bond bubble breaks...Right now the G'mint is printing money and selling treasurys at an astonishing rate as money flees the stock market & real-estate for the 'safe haven' of US bonds....To add insult to injury, he's just placed a $1.75 Trillion budget deficit in our collective laps.....Does anybody understand the staggering amount of 'credit card' spending this represents?...You could start when Jesus was born 2009 years ago, pay a $1 Million every single day, and still owe over $1 Trillion...And that don't include interest payments folx.....Nope, we are in a mess that won't end soon.

[qjehnfdcoblv]

I could tell Mark Jastrzembski was a disconnected optimist by his phone answering message....He said it was a beautiful winter's day in Twin Lakes...Well, I live in the same general area, and I can tell you there is nothing beautiful about winter in Michigan, in March.....By March, your so sic

[everlaw01]

So CBS we are in a depression...

Just remember....your president is in office...so it's all his fault

[weirdamerica]

This is one of the best stories you could have run. I, and many other Americans are successful products of positive thinking. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that YOU create your own reality through your thoughts. There is no doubt about it. The naysayers will always live in their naysaying world simply because they are naysayers. The optimists will live in their wonderful world because they are optimists. CBS - Please run more stories like this one - you will be doing a service to your country.

[ubrew12]

"Will Thinking Positively Help The Economy Rebound?"

No. The definition of a bubble is thinking positively for no good reason. Ergo: the reason we are IN this mess is because people thought that thinking positively (about housing/derivatrives) was all they needed to do.

How did that exercize in optimism work out?