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
Eleanor Rigby 6 July 1957, contains the gravestone of an individual called Eleanor Rigby. McCartney said he may have been subconsciously influenced by the name on the gravestone. In 2008, however, when a birth certificate was sold at auction of a woman named Eleanor Rigby, with seller and buyer believing it belonged to the person referenced in the song, McCartney restated publicly: "Eleanor Rigby is a totally fictitious character that I made up." He added, "If someone wants to spend money buying a document to prove a fictitious character exists, that's fine with me." The Eleanor Rigby from the birth certificate lived