Pollyanna principle Pollyanna principle The Pollyanna principle (also called Pollyannaism or positivity bias) is the tendency for people to remember pleasant items more accurately than unpleasant ones. Research indicates that at the subconscious level, the mind has a tendency to focus on the optimistic; while at the conscious level, it has a tendency to focus on the negative. This subconscious bias towards the positive is often described as the Pollyanna principle and is similar to the Forer effect. The name derives from the 1913 novel "Pollyanna" by Eleanor H. Porter describing a girl who plays the "glad game"—trying to find something to
The Wife of Sir Isaac Harman advantage. These tendencies became more marked with maturity." But Sir Isaac's Jewishness is never discussed; indeed, it is never even made explicit. Instead, it is conveyed through asides and insinuations. "The Wife of Sir Isaac Harman" is also an extensive satire of many aspects of British society on the eve of World War I. H.G. Wells wrote most of "The Wife of Sir Isaac Harman" in late 1913 and early 1914; the novel was published in October 1914. Wells claimed that the title character derived from Maud Pember Reeves and Agnes Eleanor Jacobs née Williams. Early reviews were tentative, but