Illinois Genetic Algorithms Laboratory

I’ve been working on a major rewrite of my 1995 book, Life Skills and Leadership for Engineers, and I’ve become interested in Martin Seligman’s work on learned helplessness and learned optimism. The research and clininal work is engagingly and brilliantly described in his book Learned Optimism. There are many important thoughts in this research, but a key idea has to do with the relationship between a person’s explanatory style and whether they are generally optimistic or pessimistic. Moreover, the work shows that optimism is tied to success in careers, sports, politics, and other walks of life. Although there isn’t an explicit study mentioned in the book on academic success, this could be a life-changing read for young academics or assistant professors who might be wondering whether their general outlook on life is helping or holding them back. The book has a number of self-assessment instruments and practical suggestions for changing your explanatory style.