The power of belief to shape reality...

A fascinating article.  And we can see it happening all the time with the rise and fall of candidates in a political process, the stock market, relationships, history...  I suspect human nature has been relatively constant (at least over the last 5,000 years of recorded history).  But certainly how people have processed information and dealt with it has changed dramatically over time.  Here is the example (this is not an endorsement) of some leadership training course.   Do optimists out perform pessimists by force of will?   What is the role of skepticism?  What about faith and doubt?  Just because you believe something doesn't mean it is objectively good.  The reality certain beliefs create is not one I would care to participate in.  Beyond individuals does this have broader implications to societies?  

Update:  

• Crack Emcee has some cultural links (watch the video commentary on the decline of America from a left perspective--and the views of that video are not mine) that seems to fit very well with this... 
• Crack also gives us this great video of Penn Jillette on objective vs. subjective reality (and he is right, religion is not the problem, it is deeper than that...)