HOPE is an “optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: “expect with confidence” and “to cherish a desire with anticipation.” (Thanks Wikipedia!). It can also be described as wishing or expressing a strong desire for something in the future which is not easily obtained. This end goal has an expectation of fulfillment. When I think of hope in the context of my life and those dark times, curled up in the fetal position for days and years in severe pain in all my joints and severe trigger points and stiffness in my muscles. (from Lupus and Fibromyalgia), severe depression, no quality of life and a husband that was excruciatingly mean and nasty much of the time, and who did not understand my illnesses at all, I didn’t have much, if any of it (hope, that is). It is from those experiences that I can tell you firsthand, hope is also what’s left of your soul and spirit, trying to scratch and claw their way back to the light, and life…
Hope is actually a very powerful and energizing source for people to turn to. It serves to fill us up with inner strength and perseverance, which allows us to accomplish some pretty amazing feats! People have used hope and optimism to their advantage to conquer things like physical disabilities, beating deadly cancer, and trekking miles through the desert and extreme heat in order to find help or freedom. It’s not just our imagination, there really is a scientific reason hope and optimism help us to move forward and even thrive when faced with difficult and seemingly impossible situations.
Jordan Gaines Lewis, PhD., in her article “The Neuroscience of Optimism”, on the “www.psychologytoday.com”, website, discusses a study done at New York University by Tali Sharot and colleagues where they explored why hope and optimism are so powerful and how we maintain them. The article states that, “In the study, 18 participants were asked to recall past events as well as imagine future ones based upon on-screen cues (such as winning an award). They were then asked to describe their thoughts—how strong, emotional, and positive each thought was, and whether or not it was experienced first-hand. A standard questionnaire also evaluated how optimistic they are.
The results clearly demonstrated a rosier bias. The participants rated upcoming events more positively than even happy past events—things they had actually experienced. Interestingly, participants viewed future events from a first-hand perspective if they were positive, but an outsider’s perspective if negative.
While these participants daydreamed, the researchers also conducted fMRI scans of their brains. As thoughts of happy future events flooded their minds, two structures were identified to be more strongly activated compared to negative images: the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (RACC) and the right amygdala. Additionally, the more strongly the RACC was activated, the higher the participants’ score on the optimism questionnaire.
Is optimism beneficial, or merely naïvety? The authors reason that the RACC may function to help us imagine future events by assessing our emotions from similar past events. (Who hasn’t envisaged their first day of school or a new job repeatedly based on their past experiences?)
But, even more importantly, the RACC may work hand-in-hand with our emotional center, the amygdala, to actually downplay negative emotional responses. This, in turn, may be adaptive; a “glass half-full” optimism may not only make us happier, but also give us a drive to achieve high-stakes goals. Though there are inherent risks in overoptimism, simply accepting negative predictions will impair our lives.”
SO…IS YOUR GLASS GOING TO BE HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL???
