Optimism is associated with better physical and psychological well-being optimists live longer (Lee et al., 2019) and healthier lives (Rasmussen et al., 2009), recover more quickly from many ailments (Hevey et al., 2014 Kim et al., 2014, 2017 Scheier et al., 1989 Tindle et al., 2009), and have fewer undesirable psychological symptoms. This “optimism bias” reflects the tendency of those optimistic individuals to underestimate their chance of experiencing negative life events and overestimate the probability that positive life events will happen to themselves rather than to others (Sharot, 2011). Positive expectations for the future often are inaccurate or unrealistically optimistic (Weinstein, 1980 Weinstein & Klein, 1996). This personality trait, also referred to as “dispositional optimism,” was described by Scheier & Carver ( 1985) as a generalized tendency to expect positive outcomes even in the face of obstacles. Optimism is an important product of human evolution (Peterson, 2000). Elucidating the neural underpinnings of optimism may inform both the development of prevention and treatment strategies for several mental disorders negatively associated with optimism, such as depression, as well as help to foster new resilience promotion interventions targeting healthy, vulnerable, and mentally ill individuals.
Unrealistic optimism newspaper example update#
Behavioral measures of optimistic tendencies investigated through the belief update task correlated positively with IFG activity. ACC activity was positively correlated with trait optimism and with the probability estimations of future positive events. Two key brain areas were linked to optimism: the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), involved in imagining the future and processing of self-referential information and the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), involved in response inhibition and processing relevant cues.
A search identified 14 papers eligible for inclusion. We performed a systematic review of neuroimaging studies focusing on neural correlates of optimism. Optimistic individuals hold positive expectancies for their future, have better physical and psychological health, recover faster after heart disease and other ailments, and cope more effectively with stress and anxiety. Optimism is a personality trait strongly associated with physical and psychological well-being, with correlates in nonhuman species.
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