"Pollyanna" refers to the 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter about an orphaned girl who finds something to be glad about in every situation. Over time, the name has come to describe a person who is excessively optimistic — often said with a touch of disdain. I loved that movie. Maybe because I was 9 or 10 and at that wonderfully impressionable age. (In fact, I may need to watch it again.)
There are people who use my word — Pollyanna — as an insult. But I think there’s something brave about staying hopeful, especially when the world seems determined to serve up the opposite. I do try to use positive words more often than negative ones. When we expect good things to happen, and are hopeful, usually good things do happen.When I took a philosophy course years ago, I learned that negative comments tend to open conversations more easily than positive ones. I still remember the example: a group of people are waiting at the bus stop and someone grumbles, “This bus is always late.” Another person sighs, “I’m going to be late for my appointment,” and someone else adds, “This waiting is ridiculous.” The conversation flows easily — until a cheerful voice says, “I’m so glad it’s sunny.” Suddenly, silence. Negativity builds camaraderie; optimism, it seems, sometimes just halts traffic.
“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be,” said Abraham Lincoln — one of my favorite presidents. And one of my favorite quotes. Happiness is an internal choice, not an external circumstance.
Years later, I got to explore that idea again when I took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the personality test developed by Isabel Myers during World War II and based on Carl Jung’s theories. It sorts people into sixteen personality types based on preferences and behaviors.
Luckily for me, I got to take the test when my husband was president of a small manufacturing company (about 100 employees). He was big on team building, and I suggested — quite persuasively — that I could benefit from the testing too.
My result? INTP.
I = Introvert
N = Intuition
T = Thinking
P = Perceiving
Every once in a while, I retake a free online version, and it’s pretty much the same. I find it reassuring — like rereading a favorite book and finding that the plot still fits.
So maybe being a Pollyanna isn’t naïve after all. Maybe it’s just another way of choosing perception over pessimism, of deciding that life’s “late buses” aren’t quite so bad when the sun’s still shining. And if that makes me a Pollyanna, I’ll gladly wear that badge.
