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
Land of Promise: An Economic History of the United States statements like "what is good about the American economy is largely the result of the Hamiltonian (...) tradition, and what is bad about it is largely the result of the Jeffersonian (...) school." While naturally preoccupied with the past, "Land of Promise" also looks ahead, makes conjectures about the future of America's economy and "ends on as optimistic a note as the title suggests, though it also acknowledges that failure is an option." The title "Land of Promise" is alluding to an expression for the United States that was coined by George Washington in 1785 and partly pertained to the