PHILADELPHIA –- With less than six weeks until the general
election, a University of Pennsylvania study analyzing the
relative optimism of the 2008 presidential and vice presidential
candidates has found Barack Obama and John McCain to be equally
optimistic and Sarah Palin slightly more optimistic than Joseph
Biden. Researchers have determined that the most optimistic
candidates win more than 80 percent of presidential elections
dating back to 1900. How optimism confers this electoral
advantage is unclear, but Penn psychologists believe optimistic
candidates inspire hope in the electorate and try harder,
particularly when faced with a challenge. The study, conducted
by researchers from Penn’s Positive Psychology Center, analyzed
speeches given at the Saddleback Forum on Faith and the
candidates’ respective convention acceptance speeches to
determine levels of optimism. “Although our initial report
suggests this election is too close to call, shifts in optimism
and rhetoric over the next few weeks may very wel