Optimism

We all know someone who always sees the positive side of a situation. They’re a glass-half-full individual, always believing that good things will happen to them. They view their life from the perspective of a main character in a movie, trusting that somehow, things will work out.

While not everyone feels quite this positive all of the time, in general, humans tend to be overly optimistic. We often overestimate the likelihood of positive things happening to us and underestimate the likelihood of negative things happening to us. This tendency leads us to engage in behaviors that may not be rational, such as not saving for an emergency fund or buying a lottery ticket, despite the odds of winning being very low. Equally, we might undertake risky behaviors like riding a bike without a helmet or driving under the influence, because we tell ourselves “bad things won’t happen to me.”

But it also goes without saying that optimism comes with plenty of advantages. Research shows that optimism is linked to improved physical and mental health, including better sleep, reduced anxiety, and lower rates of depression.1 Positive psychology, a branch of psychology that focuses on what allows people to thrive and lead happy, healthy lives, tends to view optimism as a means of increasing one’s well-being.²

How do we reconcile these contradictory views on optimism? There might be a happy medium. Instead of positioning people within a rigid dichotomy, with optimism on one side and pessimism on the other, we might think of optimism on a spectrum. Read on to learn more about the pros and cons of a glass-half-full attitude, and how optimism can help (or hinder) your everyday life.