Dr Catherine Conlon: Shift your perspective to embrace the positive 

It’s possible to train your brain to be more optimistic, which is linked to a longer, happier and healthier life, writes Dr Catherine Conlon

Pic: iStock

In the fifth century BC, Greek general Pericles set off on a naval mission during the Peloponnesian War. The sun was eclipsed, and his fleet of 150 ships was cast into darkness. 

While the event threw his crew into panic, Pericles approached the lead steersman, removed his cloak, and held it up around the man’s face, asking him if he was scared of what he saw.