Optimism
Optimism
Optimism
Winston Churchill once said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an
optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." Research shows that, on average, human
To many psychologists, optimism reflects the belief that the outcomes of events or
experiences will generally be positive. Others contend that optimism is more an explanatory
style; it resides in the way people explain the causes of events. Optimists are likely to see the
causes of failure or negative experiences as temporary rather than permanent, specific rather than
global, and external rather than internal. Such a perspective enables optimists to more easily see
Martin Seligman: Martin Seligman is a prominent psychologist known for his work on
problems and setbacks as temporary and specific to certain situations, while attributing success
and positive events to internal and permanent factors. This is often summarized as the "Three
Reference: Seligman, M. E. P. (1991). Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your
Life.
Viktor Frankl: Viktor Frankl was a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor who developed
the theory of logo therapy. He saw optimism as an attitude that arises from a person's ability to
find meaning and purpose in their life, even in the face of suffering and adversity.
of mind that empowers individuals to focus on possibilities rather than limitations. She believed
that even in difficult circumstances, people have the power to choose a positive perspective.
mental stance that emphasizes the positive aspects of life and anticipates favorable outcomes. He
positive emotions. She views optimism as a broadened and built-upon mindset that arises from
and open-mindedness.
Reference: Fredrickson, B. L. (2009). Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the Upward Spiral
Neurobiology of Optimism
The neurobiology of optimism involves understanding how the brain processes information,
emotions, and cognitive processes related to positive expectations and hopeful attitudes.
Neuroscientists have studied the neural mechanisms that underlie optimism, revealing insights
into the brain regions, neurotransmitters, and pathways involved. Here's a general overview of
expectations. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a crucial role in optimism due to its
and the evaluation of future outcomes. It's a region located at the front of the brain,
just behind the forehead, and it's associated with complex cognitive processes that are
essential for optimistic thinking. Here's how the prefrontal cortex contributes to
optimism:
appraising different situations. When you encounter a situation, the PFC helps
you assess its potential risks, benefits, and outcomes. Optimism involves looking
negative emotions and intrusive thoughts that can hinder positive expectations.
The PFC helps you control and redirect your thoughts towards more optimistic
pathways.
your perspective and consider alternative viewpoints. The PFC supports cognitive
flexibility by allowing you to adapt your thinking and generate different
interpretations of a situation.
positive future and setting goals with the expectation of successful outcomes. The
PFC is crucial for future-oriented thinking, goal setting, and planning. It helps you
ones. These biases can be beneficial in fostering a hopeful outlook on life, even in
cognitive processes that involve evaluating situations, regulating emotions, maintaining positive
expectations, and envisioning a positive future. The interactions between the PFC and other brain
regions contribute to the complex neural networks that underlie optimistic thinking.
anxiety. Optimism can dampen the amygdala's response to negative stimuli, leading
navigation. It also plays a role in contextualizing experiences, which can influence one's
outlook on the future. The hippocampus and amygdala are two key brain structures that
play roles in processing emotions, memory, and contextual information. While they are
not directly responsible for generating optimism, they contribute to the emotional and
cognitive processes that influence how optimism is experienced and expressed. Here's
memories of these positive events, and when recalled, they can influence an
remembering past instances where things turned out well can lead to positive
While the hippocampus and amygdala are not directly responsible for generating
optimism, their functions contribute to the emotional regulation, memory processing, and
contextual evaluation that shape how individuals perceive and respond to situations, ultimately
influencing their level of optimism. The interactions between these structures and other brain
regions create a complex neural network that underlies various aspects of human psychology,
including optimism.
goals and work towards positive outcomes. Dopamine's role in motivation can
being. It plays a role in promoting positive emotions and reducing negative ones.
Dopamine and serotonin are two important neurotransmitters in the brain that play
significant roles in regulating mood, emotions, and overall well-being. While they
are not solely responsible for generating optimism, their functions contribute to
the emotional states and cognitive processes associated with optimistic thinking.
perceive social cues and interact with others, contributing to the overall social
Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Serotonin plays a role in reducing stress and
effectively. Serotonin can dampen the brain's response to stress and help
optimistic outlook.
It's important to note that both dopamine and serotonin systems interact with each other
and with various brain regions to produce complex emotional and cognitive responses. While
they don't directly generate optimism, their effects on mood, motivation, reward processing, and
emotional regulation contribute to the mental and emotional states that are conducive to
optimistic thinking. The intricate interplay between neurotransmitters, brain regions, and
information to flow and processes to occur. Optimism-related neural pathways involve the
Reward Pathway: The brain's reward pathway, including the ventral striatum, is
and gratitude, can lead to changes in neural pathways and strengthen the brain's capacity
Research in this field is ongoing, and our understanding of the neurobiology of optimism
continues to evolve. Factors like genetics, early life experiences, and individual personality traits
What is pessimism?
Pessimism is a negative mental attitude that expects the worst or more unfavorable
outcome or event. Pessimism, an attitude of hopelessness toward life and toward existence,
coupled with a vague general opinion that pain and evil predominate in the world. It is derived
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines pessimism as ‘the attitude that
things will go wrong and that people ‘s wishes or aims are unlikely to be fulfilled’. In
disadvantageous outcome when facing events of unknown emotional impact” (Herwig et al.,
2010, p. 789).
Individuals who are pessimistic will often interpret negative events as internal, global,
and stable; whereas positive events are often viewed as external, specific, and unstable (Gillham,
Neurobiology of pessimism:
Neuroscientists have now found the brain area responsible for pessimism. The new
research suggests that both anxiety and depression are caused by an overstimulation of the
caudate nucleus.
Experts have identified the region of the brain that might be responsible for
pessimism. The caudate nucleus is a brain region that can generate pessimistic mood. In tests in
animals, scientists have shown that stimulating this region induced animals to make more
negative decisions: They gave far more weight to the anticipated drawback of a situation than its
benefit, compared to when the region was not stimulated. This pessimistic decision-making
could continue through the day after the original stimulation. treatments. These are the following
Every human depends on both the right and left hemispheres of the brain to function. However,
they both mediate different ways of seeing and dealing with the world. The right hemisphere
mediation of a “watchful and inhibitive mode weaves a sense of insecurity that generates and
According to the Seligman theory of learned optimism, optimism gives adaptive causal
explanation for "why did that bad thing happen to me?" Technically speaking, the optimist
assigns failure-like events external, erratic, and individual causes rather than the pessimist's
internal, constant, and universal causes. In defining one's attributional explanations, Seligman's
theory indirectly emphasizes the importance of negative outcomes. In contrast to the more
common understanding of optimism, which involves the connection to desired positive outcomes
in the future, Seligman's hypothesis makes use of an excuse-like process of "distancing" from
how individuals can develop a more positive and resilient outlook on life. It revolves around
three main points. First, it emphasizes the distinction between explanatory styles: optimistic
people tend to view setbacks as temporary, specific, and changeable, whereas pessimistic
individuals perceive them as permanent, pervasive, and unchangeable. Second, learned optimism
encourages the cultivation of positive self-talk and the recognition of negative thought patterns,
importance of practicing optimism as a skill that can be learned and honed over time, leading to
improved mental well-being, increased resilience, and a greater ability to navigate life's
style in development.
1. Learned optimism scores are more highly connected for monozygotic than dizygotic
twins (correlations =.48 vs..0; Schulman et al., 1993), suggesting that explanatory style may have
illustration, parents who create orderly environments for their children are more likely to
3. Optimists' parents or teachers are portrayed as role models for optimism by providing
justifications for unfortunate circumstances so that their kids can keep feeling good about
Michael Scheier and Charles Carver's (1985) model of optimism, often referred to as the
According to their framework, optimism involves a cognitive bias towards positive outcomes
and an underlying belief that efforts will lead to successful results. This model suggests that
optimistic individuals are more likely to set challenging goals, persist in the face of obstacles,
and use effective coping strategies. Optimistic expectancies are associated with a proactive
approach to problem-solving, enhanced well-being, and better overall adjustment. Scheier and
Carver's model highlights the role of optimism in shaping behavior, emotions, and cognitive
processes, emphasizing its significance in promoting resilience and achieving desired goals.
Imagine two students preparing for a difficult exam. Sarah, an optimist, believes that her
hard work and preparation will lead to a good grade. She studies diligently, seeks help when
needed, and remains motivated even when facing tough questions. As a result, she performs well
In contrast, Chris, a pessimist, doubts that his efforts will make a difference. He becomes
anxious and avoids studying, assuming he'll perform poorly anyway. His lack of motivation
leads to inadequate preparation, and he struggles during the exam, confirming his pessimistic
expectations.This example highlights how optimistic expectancies can lead to proactive behavior
and positive outcomes, while pessimistic beliefs can contribute to reduced effort
Measuring optimism
understanding and promoting human well-being, strengths, and positive emotions. Optimism, in
this context, refers to a general positive outlook on life, an expectation of positive outcomes, and
the belief that good things are more likely to happen in the future. Several established tools and
techniques are commonly used to measure optimism within the framework of positive
psychology:
measure assesses dispositional optimism by asking individuals to rate their agreement with
statements such as "I'm always optimistic about my future" and "Things never work out the way
I want them to". This is one of the most widely used instruments to assess dispositional
optimism. It consists of items that ask individuals to rate their agreement with statements about
their expectations for the future. For example, respondents might rate their level of agreement
with statements like "In uncertain times, I usually expect the best" or "I rarely count on good
both optimism and pessimism. It includes statements that respondent’s rate on a Likert scale,
reflecting their overall outlook on life. This is a revised version of the LOT that includes
this measure assesses explanatory style by asking individuals to explain hypothetical positive and
negative events and outcomes. Attributional style refers to how people explain the causes of
events in their lives. In the context of optimism, individuals with an optimistic attributional style
tend to attribute positive events to internal, stable, and global factors, while attributing negative
events to external, temporary, and specific factors. The ASQ assesses this attributional style.
4. Hope Scale: Hope is closely related to optimism and is often measured using scales
that assess an individual's goal-directed thinking and motivation. The Hope Scale typically
includes items that inquire about one's ability to set and achieve goals, persevere through
challenges, and maintain a positive outlook. This measure assesses both agency (belief in one's
ability to achieve goals) and pathways (belief in the availability of routes to achieve goals)
5. Optimism subscale of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS): The
PANAS is a well-known tool used to assess positive and negative affect. The optimism subscale
often include items related to one's general contentment with life and can indirectly capture an
optimistic outlook.
methods like interviews and open-ended questions can provide insights into an individual's
optimism by allowing them to express their thoughts, beliefs, and experiences in their own
words.
8. Experimental and Behavioral Measures: Researchers may also use experimental and
behavioral measures to assess optimism, such as reaction times to positive and negative stimuli,
optimism and pessimism by asking individuals to rate their level of agreement with positive and
negative statements.
10. Generalized Expectancy for Success Scale (GESS): This measure assesses
generalized self-efficacy and optimism by asking individuals to rate their level of agreement with
statements such as "I can do most things if I try hard enough" and "I'm confident that I can cope
11. Dispositional Positive Emotions Scale (DPES): This measure assesses dispositional
positive emotions, including optimism, by asking individuals to rate their level of agreement
with statements such as "I'm generally optimistic about my life" and "I feel a sense of
can vary based on situational factors, personality traits, and cultural influences. Additionally, the
results of these assessments should be interpreted in conjunction with other factors and used as