Is Your Coffee Cup Half Full or Half Empty?

Is Your Coffee Cup Half Full or Half Empty?

Maxwell House Pours a Cup of Optimism for Canadians and Encourages Everyone to Brew Some Good

Help Brew a Nation Without Bitterness

“Maxwell House is opening up a bottomless can of optimism for Canadians,” says Rena Nickerson, Senior Brand Manager, Maxwell House.  “It’s been a tough winter, but now that Spring’s here, we’re on a mission to boost the mood of the nation and we want all Canadians to join the movement.  Take a well-deserved ‘Optimism Break’ on our website and then share that great feeling with someone else.  After all, optimism is contagious!” Whether your cup is half empty or half full, Maxwell House is providing many ways that Canadians can take an “Optimism Break” and brew some positive energy:

• Visit the Maxwell House Optimism Café in Montreal at 3523 St. Laurent.  Throughout the month of April, there will be free Maxwell House coffee for everyone, along with a schedule of fun, in-café events.
• Escape from the daily grind at www.BrewSomeGood.ca and check out the “daily dose of optimism” – real life stories to give spirits a lift.
• Join the Facebook page – www.facebook.com/brewsomegood – for positive messaging and details on “Optimism Breaks” events.
• Watch for the Maxwell House Optimism Walls on downtown streets in Toronto and Montreal.  The Walls project positive quotations, results from the Optimism Meter, and tweets from Canadians fed by the Maxwell House Twitterstream @brewsomegood.

Is your cup of coffee half full or half empty?  Do you feel good about life and share your positive attitude with others?  Are you an optimist?  Maxwell House coffee – Canada’s favourite at-home coffee – believes that the world would be a better place if more people saw their cup as half full, rather than half empty. To gauge just how optimistic Canadians are, the brand commissioned the Maxwell House Survey on Optimism, Coffee and Canadians*, conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion.  Survey results show that Canadians are revelling in a positive state of mind and believe their positive spirit can make a difference:

• 85 percent of Canadians consider themselves to be optimistic

–   Alberta is the most optimistic province at 90 percent, while 86 per cent of Quebecers consider themselves to be optimistic

–   Canadians become more optimistic as they age:  81 percent of 18-to-34 year olds are optimistic vs. 87 percent of those 55 plus

• 86 percent of us believe optimism is contagious

–   Gender makes a difference on this one:  89 percent of women believe it’s contagious vs. 82 percent of men

• 66 percent of Canadians feel they are a “cup-half-full” kind of person who sees the positive side of things, while 28 percent see themselves as a “cup-half-empty” person who is more cautious

–   That number drops in Quebec, with 57% of respondents feeling they are a “cup-half-full” kind of person

• 79 percent of us admit to trying to turn pessimists into optimists

–   Women tend to encourage pessimists to be optimistic much more than men:  86 percent vs. 72 percent

–   Quebec is above the national average with 83%

• 41 percent of coffee drinkers say that a great cup of coffee influences their level of optimism

–   In Quebec, that number jumps to 51%!

Tips for Brewing Your Own Optimism

To garner ideas and advice on how we can all brew up our own optimistic outlook, Maxwell House is working with two eternal optimists:  Christopher Hall, a comedian famous for his Optimistic outlook on life, and Albert Nerenberg, a Laughologist, Filmmaker and Journalist.  Mr. Hall, who has worked with Mr. Nerenberg in the past, supports his top five tips for culturing positivity:

1) Smile: Smile even when you don’t feel like it.  Simply smiling will cause the hormonal changes that produce positive emotion.

2) Enjoy Rituals: Practicing rituals – something as simple as brewing and enjoying your morning cup of coffee – can help increase optimism as it gives your psyche something to look forward to.

3) Laugh Big.  Laugh Often: They say laughter is the best medicine but most of us don’t laugh well.  Don’t hold back to enjoy the stress-relieving benefits. 

4) Get Face-to-Face with Friends: We enjoy each other’s company and this interaction is believed to boost both our immunity levels and our mood.

5) Look Up: So far, there is no science to explain this, but simply looking up seems to improve your mood. Look towards the ceiling and you will notice a positive lift.

“Optimism has been linked with everything from good health and less stress to a long life and personal success,” concludes Ms. Nickerson.  “Whether your cup is half full or half empty, every new morning is a chance to brew some good.  Do yourself a favour and join the Maxwell House movement!”

* About the SurveyThe Angus Reid Public Opinion Poll was conducted over two sessions:

From February 23 to February 25, 2011, and from March 2 to March 3, 2011, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,005 and 1,018 (respectively) randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is+/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.