Life On The Bright Side

To this point, we have explored the “what” of optimism. Here we’ll focus on the “why”. Why is optimism important? In what ways does having an optimistic view benefit you? We’ll explore the research that supports that optimism not only increases happiness, emotional well-being, creativity and problem solving, but provides tangible benefits from better health to better wealth.

Maybe we should start by discussing the case for pessimism. It’s not all bad. For one thing, it can be considered ‘cool’ (picture The Breakfast Club). If you want to fit in with the emo teenagers, throw in some pessimistic eyerolls. Second, it’s better to be pessimistic (aka: cautious and open eyed at possible negative outcomes) in situations where the costs of failure greatly outweigh the benefits. Take an entrepreneur, for example. You don’t want to be overly optimistic about investing in your brother-in-law’s sunglasses-for-cats business idea with your retirement savings. Or if you’re climbing Mt. Everest, by all means, expect and prepare for the worst. But let’s debunk some myths. Some may use pessimism as a protection from being let down. One teenager we know (we lovingly call him “The Angry Philosopher”) has quipped, “Hope ends in disappointment 98% of the time”. Expecting the worst for him, and for many of us, is an attempt at protection from crushed hopes. Tali Sharot, author of The Optimism Bias counters, “The notion that holding low expectations will protect us from disappointment is known as defensive pessimism. Low expectations, however, do not diminish the pain of failure. Not only do negative expectations lead to worse results; they also fail to protect us from negative emotions when unwanted outcomes occur. For instance, students who had low expectations of their performance on an undergraduate psychology exam felt just as bad when those expectations came true as students who expected to do well” (Brown and Marshall, 2001; Shalot, 2011).

Here are a few research supported benefits of optimism: 

Optimists are healthier. The evidence overwhelmingly supports this fact. One study in 1996 followed rehabilitating heart attack patients and found that optimistic patients exercised more, took their vitamins, and ate low fat diets, and as a result lived longer than their less optimistic peers. Another study tracking healthy people over fifty years found that pessimists die younger. They were more likely to die in accidental deaths like car crashes, drownings, and work accidents, or in violent deaths like homicides. Why? Researchers concluded that the pessimists believed they didn’t have much to lose and that belief promoted risk taking behaviors. Optimists, on the other hand, expect their future to be healthy and happy and as a result are less likely to engage in risky behaviors like driving recklessly and smoking (Sharot, 2011). Another study conducted at the University of Kentucky followed first-year law students over a year of classes and exams with fluctuating stress levels and found that as their optimism levels rose so did their immune response. When optimism dropped, so did cell-mediated immunity. This suggests that the same person has different immune function when he or she feels more or less optimistic (Segerstrom & Sephton, 2010).

Optimists have a better work ethic. Carver and Scheier (1998) report that because optimists expect positive outcomes, they stick it out through difficult problems and keep working through them, whereas pessimists tend to shy away from challenges or give up when the going gets tough because they doubt themselves and the outcome. This is likely one reason why optimists make more money. A study that followed newly graduated MBA students from Duke University found that optimistic graduates found jobs quicker, earned a higher salary and were promoted more frequently (Cassity, n.d.).  In a separate study, levels of optimism were tested in first year law students. Ten years later, a one point increase on the optimism scale was worth $33,000 per year (Sharot, 2011). It pays to be optimistic, literally.

Optimists feel better and are more resilient. They are happier. Optimism has been shown to clearly influence an individual’s well-being (Gallager et al., 2013). They experience less stress, anxiety and uncertainty. And when they do encounter stressful life events such as abortion, childbirth, cancer, AIDS, or law school, they are better able to adjust (Sharot, 2011). Evidence shows optimists maintain relatively high levels of well-being even during times of stress. Optimistic women are less likely to be depressed after childbirth and optimistic freshmen are less likely to be distressed in the first few months of college (Lyubomirsky, 2008). Because they can better regulate their emotions, they are able to use coping methods that allow them to overcome stressors and be more emotionally resilient (Wrosch et al., 2013). Often, optimists will look for ways to overcome challenges in their life before they become large problems. They show more self control and are more likely to take direct action when faced with adversity. It’s no surprise then, that optimism protects against depression. They like themselves more, and are more liked by others (Lyubomirsky, 2008).

Optimism broadens mental outlook. It opens your mind, expands your vision, and helps you see the big picture. Scientists at Brandeis University found that positivity broadens people’s attention. Using sophisticated eye-tracking technology, volunteers looked at pictures on a screen while a camera tracked their eye movements. The pictures were arranged with one in the center and two at the periphery. Scientists found that those who were given a small gift at the beginning of the experiment (primed with positivity) generally looked around more and looked at the pictures in the periphery more often. Positivity literally expands your worldview. You are able to see more and take more in. The notable exception in this study was when the pictures were aversive. In these cases, negativity decreased broadened attention (Waldlinger & Isaacowitz, 2006). Not only does optimism open your visual perspective, it opens your mental outlook. Scientists at Cornell University examined the way doctors made medical diagnoses after a positive event. They found that when they gave physicians a gift of a small bag of candy (infusing them with positivity) they were better at correctly diagnosing patients and with greater speed. They were able to take in a broader range of information resulting in better clinical reasoning (Waldlinger & Isaacowitz, 2006)!

Optimism begats better outcomes. Positive and negative thinking create self-fulfilling prophecies. If you are confident that you will reach your goals, then you will invest in them and work toward them. Optimists set more goals, and more difficult goals for themselves and don’t easily give up. This translates into success professionally, academically, athletically, and socially (Lyubomirsky, 2008). The mind contributes to behaviors that transform predictions into reality.