Optimism
A forward tilt towards the good. Things will work out.
Optimism is a forward tilt towards the good. The chest is open and the face shows a light readiness. Things will work out, effort matters, the future holds possibility. You lean into what is coming rather than away.
Optimism is a strategy, not a personality
Optimism can be taught. Pessimists often treat it as a temperament that some people just happen to have. Research says otherwise. Optimism is a set of thinking habits that can be trained. When something bad happens, the pessimist treats it as permanent, pervasive, and personal. The optimist treats it as temporary, specific, and not solely about them. Both readings are partial. Both can be right. The optimist's reading tends to produce better outcomes over a life, because it preserves the agency to try again. Catch the pessimistic reading when it arrives. Ask, is there another story that also fits the facts? Usually there is. Choose that one.
"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement."
— Helen Keller
Optimism has a distinctive body signature of forward-oriented openness. The chest is open and breathing is naturally easier than in pessimistic states. The face shows particular light readiness, often with subtle expectation around the eyes. The shoulders are relaxed but ready. The body holds itself in a way that suggests engagement with what is coming rather than defensive against it. The voice carries a particular quality of expectation. The whole posture suggests a system that is preparing for good outcomes while remaining engaged with current reality. Unlike denial, real optimism includes accurate perception of current difficulties; the body is not closed off to what is actually happening.
Optimism has been extensively studied since the 1980s, particularly through Scheier and Carver's work on dispositional optimism (Scheier & Carver, 1985). The Life Orientation Test they developed has been used in hundreds of studies showing consistent links between optimism and physical health, mental health, coping effectiveness, and life satisfaction. Seligman's work on learned optimism extended this by showing that optimism can be developed through specific cognitive practices, particularly through changing how setbacks are explained (Seligman, 1991). Research has shown that optimism is partly heritable but significantly cultivatable, which makes it one of the more practically important orientations to develop.
Optimism arises through both temperament and conditions that support it. Common patterns include:
Optimism is one of the more cultivatable positive states. The following help.
Change how you explain setbacks
Seligman's research identified explanatory style as one of the most modifiable aspects of optimism. When something goes badly, notice whether you explain it as temporary (this happened this time) versus permanent (this always happens), specific (this particular thing) versus pervasive (everything is like this), and external (this circumstance) versus personal (because of who I am). Practising the temporary, specific, external explanations for setbacks usually increases optimism over time.
Take small actions that succeed
Optimism is supported by experience that effort matters. Taking small actions where success is likely, and noticing the success, gradually rebuilds the underlying belief that effort produces results. This is particularly useful for people whose optimism has been damaged by sustained difficulty.
Reduce exposure to chronic cynicism
Sustained exposure to cynical content, cynical people, and environments that punish optimism tends to erode optimism over time. Reducing this exposure, where possible, often produces increases in optimism within weeks or months. The environment matters significantly.
Distinguish optimism from outcome certainty
Optimism is the orientation toward favourable outcomes, not certainty that they will occur. Real optimism includes recognition that things might not go well, alongside the orientation that things might also go well. This distinction prevents the brittleness that comes from optimism that requires guaranteed outcomes.
If optimism feels permanently inaccessible
Sustained inability to feel optimistic, particularly when accompanied by other depression markers, may signal depression that warrants treatment. Pessimism that has become pervasive is one feature of depression and is treatable. The capacity for optimism is widely shared; sustained inability to access it usually points at something specific that can be addressed.
"Optimism is partly heritable but significantly cultivatable. The orientation is not just temperament; it is a set of cognitive practices that can be developed through deliberate work."
— A summary of Seligman's learned optimism research
What is optimism?
Optimism is a forward tilt towards the good. The body carries a particular orientation that things will work out, that effort matters, that the future contains possibility. The chest is open. The face shows light readiness. There is a quality of leaning into rather than away from what is coming. It is one of the most studied positive psychological states because of its strong and consistent links to well-being, health, and persistence. Optimism specifically refers to the orientation toward expecting favourable outcomes, particularly outcomes related to your own efforts.
Where do people feel optimism in the body?
Optimism has a distinctive signature of forward-oriented openness. The chest is open and breathing is naturally easier than in pessimistic states. The face shows particular light readiness, often with subtle expectation around the eyes. The shoulders are relaxed but ready. The body holds itself in a way that suggests engagement with what is coming rather than defensive against it. The voice carries a particular quality of expectation. The whole posture suggests a system preparing for good outcomes while remaining engaged with current reality.
Can you become more optimistic?
Yes, significantly. Seligman's research on learned optimism showed that optimism can be developed through specific cognitive practices, particularly through changing how setbacks are explained. People who explain setbacks as temporary, specific, and external tend to maintain optimism better than people who explain them as permanent, pervasive, and personal. These explanatory style differences can be changed through deliberate practice. Research has shown that optimism is partly heritable but significantly cultivatable, which makes it one of the more practically important orientations to develop.
Is optimism the same as ignoring problems?
No, and this distinction matters significantly. Naive positivity ignores difficulty and asserts good outcomes without engagement with what is actually happening. Optimism acknowledges difficulty while expecting good outcomes. A naive positive view says nothing is wrong; an optimistic view says something is wrong and we can work through it. The two are easy to confuse but have very different effects on actual outcomes. Real optimism is compatible with clear-eyed perception of current difficulties; what differs is the orientation toward what those difficulties might become.
Is being optimistic actually good for you?
Research has shown consistent links between optimism and physical health, mental health, coping effectiveness, and life satisfaction. The Scheier and Carver Life Orientation Test has been used in hundreds of studies showing these connections. Optimistic people tend to engage more effectively with problems, persist longer in the face of setbacks, and have better health outcomes across many conditions. The benefits are not just psychological; physical health outcomes also tend to be better for optimistic people, holding other factors constant.
- Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1985). Optimism, coping, and health: Assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. Health Psychology, 4(3), 219–247. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0278-6133.4.3.219
- Seligman, M. E. P. (1991). Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. Knopf.
- Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Segerstrom, S. C. (2010). Optimism. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(7), 879–889. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272735810000826
Optimism sits in the positive family as one of its most studied orientations. It overlaps with hope when specific possibilities are central, with hopefulness as the broader gentle form, with positive expectancy when the orientation is more cognitive than felt, and with what positive psychology research has identified as one of the most beneficial character orientations for both well-being and effective functioning.
See where optimism sits among the other 402 emotions.
Open Optimism on the wheel