What Makes Optimism So Powerful?
Why is optimism such a powerful force? Turns out, there’s brain science to back it.
In a Forbes.com article, Harvard instructor Carmine Gallo interviewed developmental molecular biologist and bestselling author John Medina about his book Brain Rules for Aging Well. According to Medina, optimism can increase your lifespan by nearly eight years, and his assertion is backed by science.
Looking at life as a glass half full tends to keep depression at bay. Medina lays out what happens in our bodies when we experience depression:
“If you slip into a clinical depression, all kinds of rotten things happen to you. Here’s one. Your immune system begins to go offline. As a result, cortisol levels – stress hormones – begin to rise. Stress hormones attack a very particular cell type in the immune system called a CD4 positive cell [white blood cells that play an important role in your immune system]. If you are depressed, cortisol levels go way, way up.”
Increased cortisol leads to a weakened immune system, making you more vulnerable to cancer and infectious diseases, which tend to shorten your life. “The ability for you to stay optimistic produces a buffer against your probability of experiencing depression,” Medina explains.
Not only does optimism help us stave off depression and its accompanying negative effects on our bodies, but it actively boosts positive changes instead. Optimism both reduces stress and increases dopamine production. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that makes us feel happy and motivated.
“Dopamine packs a serious wallop,” Medina explains. He compares dopamine to the ignition system in your car. “Insert the key into the lock, and the car springs to life,” he says, adding, “Dopamine is a big deal.”
In short, optimism provides a twofer: it “reduces the bad stuff and elevates the good stuff.”
Read the full article here.
Gallo, Carmine. “Brain Science Reveals the Striking Power of Optimism.” Forbes.com, 19 Nov 2017, https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2017/11/19/brain-science-reveals-the-striking-power-of-optimism/?sh=2d10d2e371aa.