Sometimes it's hard to be happy in a hell-in-a-handbasket world.

The war in Iraq, the crisis in the Middle East, starvation in Africa and immigration issues at home can leave us with heavy hearts.

But a concept gaining ground in the field of psychology could provide some help. Positive psychology, which studies how optimistic people prevail, is developing a following after a decade of research. Those who study the science of happiness say emphasizing the positive over the negative could tip the scales.

The quest for optimism is not new. Buddha contemplated the nature of happiness around 500 B.C. America's founders codified it as a worthy pursuit in the Declaration of Independence. In 1952, New York minister Norman Vincent Peale published "The Power of Positive Thinking," a book that proved inspirational to millions of readers and continues to spread its upbeat message.

Positive psychology is an "orientation about the way life is, that focuses on a positive viewpoint," says Alex Zautra, a professor of clinical psychology at Arizona State University and leader of its Resilience Solutions Group.

Studies show that those who adopt an optimistic viewpoint might be better equipped to deal with traumatic situations. In a study begun months before the Sept. 11 attacks, Barbara L. Fredrickson, a professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, found that people identified as being resilient and optimistic before the tragedy were half as likely to suffer depression afterward as those more pessimistic by nature.

The key to being able to bounce back after tragedy is to recognize that we don't have to be happy all the time; happiness and unhappiness are two halves of a whole life, Zautra says.

MAKE YOURSELF HAPPY

Tendencies toward optimism or pessimism are usually in place by puberty, says Jonathan Haidt, associate professor of psychology at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville. But pessimists can learn to be more optimistic. Haidt, author of "The Happiness Hypothesis" (Basic Books, 2005), compares the human mind to an elephant and a rider. The rider is conscious thought. The elephant is the rest of the mind, including emotions. We can't force an elephant to bend to our will, but as riders we can train it.

Mental exercises tone the optimism muscles. "Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life" (Vintage, 2006 reprint of 1990 book), is a mental workout manual by Martin Seligman, one of the pioneers of positive psychology. You can measure your overall rate of happiness or depression at Seligman's site, www.au thentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu.

POSITIVE DIRECTION

Happiness might not be so much a goal as a byproduct of the good work we do and the wisdom we find. In a book published in August called "Breaking Murphy's Law: How Optimists Get What they Want From Life — and Pessimists Can Too" (Guilford Press, 2006), Suzanne Segerstrom shows people how to tweak their personalities.

Optimistic people pay more attention to the positive aspects of their lives than the negatives, says Segerstrom, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky-Lexington. She suggests taking a tally of the good things that happen each day, even something as small as making the light at a busy intersection.

But people should expand beyond self-help to helping others, says Laura King, a professor of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri. Donate your time or money to groups such as the American Red Cross. "There's no better advice than to get outside yourself," King says. "Volunteer. Share. Ask, 'What can I do? How can I help?' "