-
Current Cardiology Reports Oct 2021Does optimism contribute to superior cardiovascular health? We examined prospective studies investigating the connections between optimism and cardiovascular health and... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Does optimism contribute to superior cardiovascular health? We examined prospective studies investigating the connections between optimism and cardiovascular health and examining the biological and behavioral mechanisms that may mediate such connections.
RECENT FINDINGS
Optimism, independent of sociodemographic, medical, and negative psychological factors, has been prospectively associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and lower rates of cardiac and all-cause mortality. The mechanisms by which optimism may prevent cardiovascular disease remain unclear, but one mechanism may be through health behaviors. Indeed, optimism has been linked with physical activity, healthy diet, and smoking cessation, all of which are associated with better cardiovascular health. Additional studies are needed to: (1) understand the relationships between more dynamic measures of optimism and health outcomes, (2) delineate the mechanisms underlying the relationships between optimism and cardiovascular health, and (3) assess the potential for interventions to modify optimism.
Topics: Cardiovascular Diseases; Health Behavior; Humans; Optimism; Prospective Studies; Protective Factors
PubMed: 34599386
DOI: 10.1007/s11886-021-01590-4 -
Consciousness and Cognition Apr 2017Here we consider the nature of unrealistic optimism and other related positive illusions. We are interested in whether cognitive states that are unrealistically... (Review)
Review
Here we consider the nature of unrealistic optimism and other related positive illusions. We are interested in whether cognitive states that are unrealistically optimistic are belief states, whether they are false, and whether they are epistemically irrational. We also ask to what extent unrealistically optimistic cognitive states are fixed. Based on the classic and recent empirical literature on unrealistic optimism, we offer some preliminary answers to these questions, thereby laying the foundations for answering further questions about unrealistic optimism, such as whether it has biological, psychological, or epistemic benefits.
Topics: Humans; Illusions; Optimism
PubMed: 27815016
DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2016.10.005 -
Nature Ecology & Evolution Mar 2019
Topics: Biodiversity; Conservation of Natural Resources; Humans; Optimism; Urbanization
PubMed: 30804521
DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-0843-0 -
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology Jan 2021
Topics: Dermatology; Humans; Optimism; Periodicals as Topic; Societies, Medical; Uncertainty
PubMed: 33342504
DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2020.11.003 -
American Journal of Surgery Jul 2020Unsustainable surgeon burnout rates and moral imperatives for performance improvement suggest an urgent need to understand and apply rationales and methods for... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Unsustainable surgeon burnout rates and moral imperatives for performance improvement suggest an urgent need to understand and apply rationales and methods for cultivating grit and optimism in surgery.
DATA SOURCES
Embase, MEDLINE, and PubMed articles.
CONCLUSIONS
Passivity in response to negative events is the default human response, but the presence of control activates the prefrontal cortex-the brain region controlling executive function-promoting effort toward solutions. Challenges, failures, and traumatic events perceived as inescapable, permanent, pervasive, and irreparable lead to debility and attrition; grit and optimism shift the human response toward growth, strength, and improved performance. Methods for realizing these advantages include maintaining positivity, pursuing major challenges that match personal skills, engaging in deliberate practice to improve skills, persisting in hard work, and pursuing higher meaning and purpose in work and life. Grit and optimism are difficult to teach; selecting gritty, optimistic surgical residency applicants may also be effective.
Topics: Burnout, Professional; Defense Mechanisms; Humans; Internship and Residency; Optimism; Resilience, Psychological
PubMed: 32098653
DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2020.01.057 -
The Journal of Pediatrics Feb 2020
Topics: Iowa; Optimism
PubMed: 31590944
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.09.050 -
Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral... Oct 2021Optimism is a personality trait strongly associated with physical and psychological well-being, with correlates in nonhuman species. Optimistic individuals hold positive... (Review)
Review
Optimism is a personality trait strongly associated with physical and psychological well-being, with correlates in nonhuman species. 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. We performed a systematic review of neuroimaging studies focusing on neural correlates of optimism. A search identified 14 papers eligible for inclusion. 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. ACC activity was positively correlated with trait optimism and with the probability estimations of future positive events. Behavioral measures of optimistic tendencies investigated through the belief update task correlated positively with IFG activity. 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.
Topics: Anxiety; Brain; Brain Mapping; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Optimism; Prefrontal Cortex
PubMed: 34341967
DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00931-8 -
The American Psychologist Dec 2018Dispositional optimism is the generalized, relatively stable tendency to expect good outcomes across important life domains. This article provides a representative... (Review)
Review
Dispositional optimism is the generalized, relatively stable tendency to expect good outcomes across important life domains. This article provides a representative review of 30 years of research on dispositional optimism and physical well-being. Assessment of optimism is described, along with data regarding its stability. A review of the research linking optimism and physical health is then presented. Included in the review are initial studies suggesting that optimism and physical well-being might be linked as well as more recent, larger scale epidemiological studies that make the point more emphatically. Also considered are potential pathways-behavioral, biological, and social-that might explain these associations. The article concludes with a brief look to the future, describing several issues and questions that still need to be answered. These questions include the relationship of optimism and pessimism to each other (and the implications of that relationship for physical well-being), the origins of optimism and pessimism, and interventions that might be implemented to reduce the negative impact of a pessimistic outlook. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Attitude to Health; Health; Health Behavior; Humans; Optimism; Personality
PubMed: 30525784
DOI: 10.1037/amp0000384 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Nov 2020Just as happy people see the proverbial glass as half-full, 'optimistic' or 'pessimistic' responses to ambiguity might also reflect affective states in animals.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Just as happy people see the proverbial glass as half-full, 'optimistic' or 'pessimistic' responses to ambiguity might also reflect affective states in animals. Judgement bias tests, designed to measure these responses, are an increasingly popular way of assessing animal affect and there is now a substantial, but heterogeneous, literature on their use across different species, affect manipulations, and study designs. By conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of 459 effect sizes from 71 studies of non-pharmacological affect manipulations on 22 non-human species, we show that animals in relatively better conditions, assumed to generate more positive affect, show more 'optimistic' judgements of ambiguity than those in relatively worse conditions. Overall effects are small when considering responses to all cues, but become more pronounced when non-ambiguous training cues are excluded from analyses or when focusing only on the most divergent responses between treatment groups. Task type (go/no-go; go/go active choice), training cue reinforcement (reward-punishment; reward-null; reward-reward) and sex of animals emerge as potential moderators of effect sizes in judgement bias tests.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Cognition; Cues; Judgment; Optimism; Pessimism
PubMed: 32682742
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.012 -
Circulation Research Apr 2018Optimistic people have reduced risk for cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular-related mortality compared with their less optimistic peers. One explanation for this... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Optimistic people have reduced risk for cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular-related mortality compared with their less optimistic peers. One explanation for this is that optimistic people may be more likely to engage in healthy behavior like exercising frequently, eating fruits and vegetables, and avoiding cigarette smoking. However, researchers have not formally determined the extent or direction of optimism's association with health behaviors. Moreover, it is unclear whether optimism temporally precedes health behaviors or whether the relationship is because of shared common causes. We conducted random effects meta-analyses examining optimism's association with 3 health behaviors relevant for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. PubMed and PsycINFO databases were searched for studies published through November 2017 reporting on optimism's relationship with physical activity, diet, and cigarette smoking. We identified 34 effect sizes for physical activity (n=90 845), 15 effect sizes for diet (n=47 931), and 15 effect sizes for cigarette smoking (n=15 052). Findings suggested that more optimistic individuals tended to engage in healthier behaviors compared with less optimistic individuals, but effect sizes were modest (=0.07, <0.0001; =0.12, <0.0001; and =0.07, =0.001). Most evidence was cross-sectional (≥53% of effect sizes) and did not consider sociodemographic characteristics (<53% of effect sizes) or psychological distress (<27% of effect sizes) as potential confounders. Optimism is associated with healthier behaviors that protect against cardiovascular disease, although most evidence was relatively low quality. Additional longitudinal and experimental research is required to determine whether optimism causally contributes to healthy behaviors and whether optimism could be an effective target for preventing cardiovascular disease.
Topics: Adult; Attitude to Health; Cardiovascular Diseases; Causality; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet; Exercise; Feeding Behavior; Female; Health Behavior; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Optimism; Smoking
PubMed: 29650630
DOI: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.117.310828