Can new leadership improve our quality of life?

For many years, it's felt like the United States has been in a collective funk. We've been led to fear our neighbors. We've been taught to hate our enemies.

Now there's some prevailing wisdom that a new president, a new administration and a new role model can redirect our course of action toward a more positive outlook on life. We can stop wasting our energies on doubt, despair and self-loathing. We can start believing in the United States again, and not only its promise to keep us safe, but also make us feel hopeful.

And what better role model to have than a young, African-American who's favorite word is not "terror," but "hope."

This is from a recent USA Today article:

Improved race relations and short-term relief from soaring stress levels are among the likely after-effects of Barack Obama's Tuesday night victory, say experts in mental health and race relations.

The emotion-filled election came at a time of great anxiety, says Richard Chaifetz, CEO of ComPsych, the largest U.S. employee assistance mental health provider. Requests for counseling surged 40 percent in the past six months, he says.

"Now that people know we're going to have a change, it will give them hope and ease fears for a while," he predicts. But the rosy glow could fade within several weeks, Chaifetz adds, as people see that the financial meltdown —source of so much worry — isn't ending soon.

Many young Americans got a huge morale boost from the Obama victory, says Ellen Thompson, 27, of Cheyenne, Wyo. With younger voters going to the polls in such high numbers, and a clear majority voting for Obama, "it has made young people feel quite empowered," she says. "Most of my friends did something in the campaign because they thought they could make a difference, and then they did."