Optimism is a mental state reflecting an optimistic expectation or fear that the end of some particular task, or associated outcomes in the future, will be satisfactory, desirable, and positive. The cause of optimism can be related to personal beliefs or motivation. Optimism in its purest form is related to a "what if" attitude. The "what ifs" involved with optimism are related to the unknown.
Most optimists tend to be less stressed than pessimists. Optimists tend to be more creative. They also tend to have a healthy self-image and high self-esteem. They are less stressed and are more creative.
Some psychologists believe that optimism has a biological basis. People who have high levels of optimism have stronger and higher functioning immune systems, which allow them to resist diseases and viruses better. This may also explain the positive outcomes of people who have optimistic parenting and educational backgrounds.
Furthermore, pessimists tend to have unhealthy physical health. Negative health impacts include higher stress levels, poor health behaviors, higher body mass index, lower physical functioning, and poorer physical health outcomes.
It is not clear how much variation exists between people who have high levels of optimism and those who have low levels of optimism. However, many aspects of physical health and psychological well-being can be influenced by optimistic thoughts and behaviors.
Therefore, it is not unreasonable to suppose that overall health outcomes can be influenced by one's attitudes and explanatory styles.
According to several studies, optimism has a positive effect on the brain chemicals associated with happiness and optimism has a positive effect on mood and depression. Similarly, several studies have revealed that people who are more optimistic have higher levels of serotonin.
Serotonin is considered to be the neurotransmitter and plays a critical role in regulating moods. More serotonin in the brain means that a person will be more optimistic and happier. Consequently, people who are optimistic and have higher levels of serotonin are more likely to be happy and have higher self-esteem and to report greater levels of satisfaction with their lives.
People who are pessimistic but who also report greater amounts of emotional intensity, positive thinking, and physical wellbeing are also more likely to be depressed. Researchers have speculated that this might be due to the fact that pessimistic individuals are more pessimistic about their own health and are therefore less happy and physical healthy.
Conversely, people who are more optimistic about their health and are thus happier. By making use of optimism, negative thoughts can be replaced with positive thoughts, which, in turn, make the individual feel happier. As a result of this change in outlook, depressive illnesses can be prevented.
A second study that indicates how optimism can be linked with health outcomes found that a greater amount of optimism was associated with lower rates of sickness after researchers surveyed over 1,000 adults.
Those who were more Optimistic had higher counts on the "Sick patient lists." In one study, the level of optimism was shown to be linked to immune system strength. The greater the level of optimism, the better the individual's immune system defense against viruses and other germs.
There is still much research to be done in regards to Optimism and its affect on the immune system and other bodily functions.
However, from the above studies, it appears as though Optimism bias the way that we look at the world around us and our health. Those who are more positive tend to be more optimistic about life in general. Consequently, those who are optimistic are happier and healthier.
This may be hard to believe when you consider all of the negative things that we hear about in the news and see in magazines. However, it is well documented that those who are pessimistic about the world as a whole tend to have higher sickness rates and incidences of stress related diseases.
Those who are more pessimistic also report feeling much greater hopelessness about good things not happening to them. They also have lower self-esteem and greater cynicism. All of these things lead to an increased likelihood of depressive disorders and illness. It has been established that the pessimism bias can have very real, detrimental effects on the body's immune system.
When researchers asked people to fill out questionnaires about their opinions regarding optimism, pessimism, anger, happiness, and so on, they discovered that pessimists were much more likely to report being "unhealthy" than those who reported being Optimistic.
Interestingly, one study found that those who were most highly educated and those who were in jobs with stable incomes were the most Optimistic group. Those who were not in such high-paying jobs were the most pessimistic and those who were least knowledgeable and least stable of all were the most Optimistic.
The research concluded that people were most optimistically inclined if they were middle class and had steady income. However, they were also more pessimistic and less happy if they were working in a lower paying job.
The Optimism bias is more ingrained within certain groups than others. For example, those who are more likely to have been involved in trauma in their childhood are much more likely to have pessimism about good things happening to them.
Those who have been in high conflict in their childhood are also more likely to have pessimism about good things happening to them. Finally, those who are college graduates and have stable jobs tend to be more optimistic than those who are working in entry level jobs.