Prologue: stop trying to be so happy
Glass half full, glass half empty, or glass that needs to be washed? the optimistic character
The persistence instinct: optimists and their goals
Building (and rebuilding) for the future: optimists and their resources
So happy together: optimists and their relationships
Mixed blessing: optimists and their health
Everything good, especially the bad: optimists and their vulnerabilities
Is an optimist born or made? the optimistic character revisited
Doing optimism: optimists, pessimists, and their potential for change
Epilogue: confessions of a reluctant optimist.