Old school optimism - new school research. Be Happy.

I just spent some time cruising through my old posts. I guess I must be seen as the goofy optimistic guy in Bellevue by now. As far back as I can remember, optimism and dreams have guided me. I don't know if it is cause or effect but I'm getting awefully close to 40 years old and I'm pretty darned happy with where life is and how life has unfolded for me.
I listened to a converstation about a super-interesting study on CBC radio last week. The study's purpose was essentially to see if optimistic, happy people see things differently than those who have a more negative twist. The study went like this: 2 groups were established. The members of group 1 were shown happy pictures like puppies and babies (I assume rare, non-crying babies) and other "feel good" stuff. In group 2 the members were shown sadder stuff, not brutal stuff but just sadder - like people crying and stuff. After viewing these photos, the members of each group were shown an image on a page. In reality the page had a central, high contrast image that was surrounded by a lower contrast, subtle larger image. Those people who had looked at the sad images only saw the focused image in the center. Those who looked at happy images immediately saw that there were 2 distinct images. The conclusion: happy, optimistic people actually see their surroundings in a different way - they see more than their sad counterparts.
This study only touches on the impact of happiness and optimism. I'm sure somebody will do a study that finds that happy, optimistic people have more to be happy about in the end. A positive attitude attracts positive experiences. Someone will discover that health is improved by having a positive outlook. Someone will find that he who finishes with the most happy experiences is better off than he who finishes with the most stuff.