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Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases Apr 2023
Topics: Humans; Respiratory Tract Infections; Optimism
PubMed: 36912584
DOI: 10.1097/QCO.0000000000000911 -
Annals of Behavioral Medicine : a... Aug 2021Generalized expectancies have been theorized to play key roles in pain-related outcomes, but the empirical findings have been mixed. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Generalized expectancies have been theorized to play key roles in pain-related outcomes, but the empirical findings have been mixed.
PURPOSE
The primary aim of this meta-analysis was to quantify the relationships between two of the most researched positive generalized expectancies (i.e., hope and optimism) and pain-related outcomes (i.e., pain severity, physical functioning, and psychological dysfunction) for those experiencing clinical pain.
METHODS
A total of 96 studies and 31,780 participants with a broad array of pain diagnoses were included in analyses, using random-effects models.
RESULTS
Both hope and optimism had negative correlations with pain severity (hope: r = -.168, p < .001; optimism: r = -.157, p < .001), positive correlations with physical functioning (hope: r = .199, p < .001; optimism: r = .175, p < .001), and negative correlations with psychological dysfunction (hope: r = -.349, p = .001; optimism: r = -.430, p <.001).
CONCLUSION
The current findings suggest that hope and optimism are similarly associated with adaptive pain-related outcomes. Future research should examine the efficacy of interventions on hope and optimism in ameliorating the experience of clinical pain.
Topics: Humans; Optimism; Pain
PubMed: 33580660
DOI: 10.1093/abm/kaab001 -
Consciousness and Cognition Apr 2017
Topics: Humans; Optimism; Social Perception; Thinking
PubMed: 27923533
DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2016.11.008 -
American Journal of Preventive Medicine Jan 2019Optimism-the expectation that good things will happen-has emerged as a promising health asset, as it appears to be related to healthier behaviors and reduced disease...
INTRODUCTION
Optimism-the expectation that good things will happen-has emerged as a promising health asset, as it appears to be related to healthier behaviors and reduced disease risk. Growing research finds that higher optimism is associated with lower mortality, yet it is critical to understand whether this prolonged longevity is accompanied by good health. This study tested whether higher optimism was associated with increased likelihood of healthy aging.
METHODS
Prospective data analyzed in 2018 from the Nurses' Health Study included 33,326 women with no major chronic diseases at baseline. Poisson regression models evaluated if optimism was associated with healthy aging 8 years later, considering potential confounders (sociodemographic variables, depression) and intermediate variables (health behaviors). Optimism was assessed in 2004 by validated self-report using mailed questionnaires and healthy aging was assessed in 2012, defined as (1) remaining free of major chronic diseases; (2) having no subjective memory impairment; (3) having intact physical function; and (4) surviving through follow-up.
RESULTS
Overall, 20.5% of women (n=6,823) fulfilled the definition of healthy aging in 2012. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors and depression, the most (top quartile) versus least (bottom quartile) optimistic women had a 23% greater likelihood of healthy aging (95% CI=1.16, 1.30). Associations were similar in white and black participants, although the sample of black women was small (n=354).
CONCLUSIONS
Higher optimism was associated with increased likelihood of healthy aging, suggesting that optimism, a potentially modifiable health asset, merits further research for its potential to improve health in aging.
Topics: Black or African American; Aged; Aging; Female; Health Behavior; Healthy Aging; Humans; Middle Aged; Optimism; Prospective Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; White People
PubMed: 30573140
DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2018.07.037 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Sep 2017Both optimism bias and reward-related attention bias have crucial implications for well-being and mental health. Yet, the extent to which the two biases interact remains... (Review)
Review
Both optimism bias and reward-related attention bias have crucial implications for well-being and mental health. Yet, the extent to which the two biases interact remains unclear because, to date, they have mostly been discussed in isolation. Examining interactions between the two biases can lead to new directions in neurocognitive research by revealing their underlying cognitive and neurophysiological mechanisms. In the present article, we suggest that optimism bias and reward-related attention bias mutually enforce each other and recruit a common underlying neural network. Key components of this network include specific activations in the anterior and posterior cingulate cortex with connections to the amygdala. We further postulate that biased memory processes influence the interplay of optimism and reward-related attention bias. Studying such causal relations between cognitive biases reveals important information not only about normal functioning and adaptive neural pathways in maintaining mental health, but also about the development and maintenance of psychological diseases, thereby contributing to the effectiveness of treatment.
Topics: Animals; Attention; Brain; Cognition; Humans; Models, Neurological; Optimism; Reward
PubMed: 28780313
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.07.016 -
Behavioral Medicine (Washington, D.C.) 2019A growing body of literature provides evidence of the health-promoting effects of optimism, including its protective role in acute and chronic pain. Optimists are...
A growing body of literature provides evidence of the health-promoting effects of optimism, including its protective role in acute and chronic pain. Optimists are characterized by positive expectations concerning the future. These positive outcome expectancies lead to more and longer goal-directed efforts and the use of approach coping strategies. No systematic review on the effects of optimism on the experience of pain has so far been conducted. A search in the databases PubMed, Web of Science and PsycInfo, and the scanning of reference lists identified 69 eligible studies. These were categorized according to sample size, participants' age and sex, design, optimism-pain relation as primary vs. secondary study objective, and level of study/publication quality. Overall percentages of positive, zero, and negative associations between optimism and pain as well as relative frequencies of these associations in the different categories were analyzed. About 70% of the studies showed a positive, i.e., beneficial association between optimism and at least one pain outcome. A larger percentage of beneficial associations was found in studies with experimental designs, in studies with the optimism-pain relation as primary objective, in high-quality studies/publications, and in studies including participants with a higher average age. The review suggests that optimism is associated with less acute and chronic pain, especially since a higher percentage of beneficial associations was found with high study/publication quality and with the primary focus on this relationship. For the moderating role of age, different explanations are proposed. Further research on causal relationships and on optimism-fostering clinical interventions is needed.
Topics: Chronic Pain; Female; Humans; Male; Optimism; Pain; Quality of Life
PubMed: 30570408
DOI: 10.1080/08964289.2018.1517242 -
IEEE Pulse 2021"At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities."-Jean Houston.
"At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities."-Jean Houston.
Topics: Creativity; Humans; Inventions; Optimism; United States
PubMed: 34156932
DOI: 10.1109/MPULS.2021.3078601 -
Headache Feb 2019Optimism and pessimism are related to several mental health and brain disorders, are significant predictors of physical and psychological health outcomes, and implicated... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
BACKGROUND
Optimism and pessimism are related to several mental health and brain disorders, are significant predictors of physical and psychological health outcomes, and implicated as psychosocial determinants of the pain experience. Despite this promising evidence, limited information is available on optimism and pessimism in headache disorders.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the influence of optimism and pessimism in meeting criteria for migraine and related disability in a population-based sample.
METHODS
This is an observational, cross-sectional study. The sample population was selected through a stratified, multi-stage area probability sample of households, as used by the last Brazilian Census. A validated questionnaire eliciting data on demographics, headache features, migraine-related disability, depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), optimism, and pessimism (life orientation test - revised) was administered to people with migraine and headache-free control participants from the general population in São Paulo, Brazil via trained interviewers. Six hundred individuals were contacted. The odds for having migraine/no headache diagnosis were calculated by binary logistic regression, and ordinal regression was performed to check associations between migraine-related disability and optimism.
RESULTS
A total of 302 individuals (mean ± SD age: 39.7 ± 12.7; BMI: 26.5 ± 5.9) met inclusion criteria and were included, 140 controls (with no history of headache disorders) and 162 people meeting criteria for migraine (29 with chronic migraine, that is, 15 or more headache days/month). People with migraine were less optimistic and more pessimistic than controls, and endorsed higher levels of anxious and depressive symptoms. Pessimism (OR 95% CI = 1.16 [1.05-1.28], P = .005) and anxiety (OR 95% CI = 1.19 [1.10-1.29], P < .001) were predictors of meeting criteria for migraine, while optimism (β 95% CI = -0.915 [-1.643, -0.188], P = .01) was inversely associated with migraine-related disability.
CONCLUSIONS
Optimism and pessimism are associated with migraine and migraine-related disability. These concepts should be further explored in people with migraine with regard to their potential influences on clinical research outcomes and treatments.
Topics: Adult; Anxiety; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression; Disability Evaluation; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Migraine Disorders; Optimism; Pessimism; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 30659602
DOI: 10.1111/head.13471 -
American Journal of Epidemiology Jun 2019Mounting evidence indicates that there are specific associations between higher levels of optimism and healthier behaviors, reduced risk of chronic diseases, and lower...
Mounting evidence indicates that there are specific associations between higher levels of optimism and healthier behaviors, reduced risk of chronic diseases, and lower mortality. Yet, for public health purposes, it is critical to consider how optimism might be related to a full scope of health conditions in aging-from cognitive to physical health. Using prospective data from the Health and Retirement Study (n = 5,698), we examined whether higher baseline optimism was associated with subsequent increased likelihood of maintaining healthy aging over 6-8 years of follow-up. Optimism was assessed at study baseline (2006 or 2008), and components of healthy aging were assessed every 2 years, defined as: 1) remaining free of major chronic diseases; 2) having no cognitive impairment; and 3) good physical functioning. Hazard ratios were obtained using Cox proportional hazards models, and a range of relevant covariates were considered (sociodemographic factors, depressive symptoms, and health behaviors). After adjusting for sociodemographic factors and depression, the most (top quartile) versus least (bottom quartile) optimistic participants had a 24% increased likelihood of maintaining healthy aging (95% CI: 1.11, 1.38). Further adjustment for health behaviors did not meaningfully change the findings. Optimism, a potentially modifiable health asset, merits further research for its potential to improve likelihood of health in aging.
Topics: Aged; Chronic Disease; Cognitive Dysfunction; Female; Health Behavior; Healthy Aging; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Optimism; Physical Functional Performance; Proportional Hazards Models; Prospective Studies; Socioeconomic Factors
PubMed: 30834429
DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwz056 -
Lancet (London, England) Apr 2022
Topics: Humans; Optimism
PubMed: 35430011
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00694-8