013 American Positive Thinking: A Painkiller with Side Effect The two essays, “Bright-Sided” by Barbara Ehrenreich and “The More Factor” by Laurence Shames examine the shallowness of the American culture of optimism and insatiable hunger for material success. While Ehrenreich attacks the “positive thinking” ideology that persuades individuals that everything will turn out right if they think positively and work hard, Shames cautions the American society against the belief that America is the land of plenty where there is enough for everyone. However, reviewing the whole of the two essays conveys the message that America is undoing her exaggeration of the possibilities and potential for material success, which currently makes her blind to the possibilities of misfortune and unpredictable negative outcomes. Barbara Ehrenreich focuses on the American folly of believing that everything is possible with positive thinking. Positive thinking supposedly not only makes people feel optimistic, but actually makes happy outcomes more likely.