The Boston Globe reports today that many of us — possibly 80% — are optimists.

Optimism and pessimism alike each have benefits. Studies suggest that optimists may enjoy better health, but being overly optimistic can be a hindrance when it comes to launching or running a business.

The effect of optimism may also be influenced by one’s career:

The importance of positivity can vary by profession. University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin Seligman, a leading researcher on optimism, has found that pessimistic law students are the most successful. Optimistic sales agents, on the other hand, significantly outsell pessimistic ones.

And optimism may even have political consequences:

According to Seligman’s analysis of presidential elections between 1948 and 1984, optimists usually win. Pessimists lost 9 of those 10 elections.

Test yourself to measure how optimistic you are at the Authentic Happiness web site (registration required first for access to tests). Or take this shorter test posted at the Boston Globe.

Since I began blogging over three years ago, one of the most delightful changes I have witnessed is the steadily increasing number of mediators who now share ideas, news, practice tips, and their best thinking through the medium of blogs. In fact, on any given day, a stroll through the ADR blogosphere is like attending a conference with none of the expense but much of the pleasure.

There are many mediation blogs I enjoy but one of my favorites is the French language blog, Réseau Médiation (Mediation Network). Published by Dominique Foucart, a Belgian mediator in family, civil, and commercial disputes, this blog stands out for its thoughtful and honest reflection on difficult issues in the mediation field and its attention to the discoveries in other professions that have special relevance to the work of mediators. It is well worth the time it takes me to read it with what remains to me of the French I learned in junior high and high school and the help of my trusty Larousse.

In a recent post, “Comment libérer votre créativité“, Dominique shared with his readers a link to an interview with three experts at Scientific American with advice on “How to Unleash Your Creativity” — ideas on tapping into and freeing up the creative powers of individuals and groups, adults and children.

It describes the four competencies necessary for creativity:

The first and most important competency is “capturing”—preserving new ideas as they occur to you and doing so without judging them. The second competency is called “challenging”—giving ourselves tough problems to solve. In tough situations, multiple behaviors compete with one another, and their interconnections create new behaviors and ideas. The third area is “broadening.” The more diverse your knowledge, the more interesting the interconnections—so you can boost your creativity simply by learning interesting new things. And the last competency is “surrounding,” which has to do with how you manage your physical and social environments. The more interesting and diverse the things and the people around you, the more interesting your own ideas become.

If you need some inspiration to revive your own creative processes, be sure to read this interview.

Dan Harris hosts Blawg Review #162 at China Law Blog, a blog with a strongly international perspective that covers the legal issues of doing business in China.

Dan dedicates this most impressive presentation of Blawg Review to world peace and the ending of all disputes.