Bright Outlook, Healthy Life: Optimism Fosters Better Habits, Reveals Study - Video

A team of researchers from Syracuse University and Michigan State University recently explored the personal characteristics that help people handle prolonged stressors, such as the pandemic. Led by Jeewon Oh, assistant professor of psychology at Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences, the group delved into optimism and pessimism and how those mindsets influence well-being.

The group utilized data from the Health and Retirement Study, a large-scale panel study where the participants responded to questions assessing their levels of optimism, such as “In uncertain times, I usually expect the best,” and pessimism, such as “I hardly ever expect things to go my way.” During the

COVID-19 pandemic, respondents answered questions on health-related behaviors that either increased or reduced the risk of COVID-19 transmission, including masking frequency, travel habits, and the likelihood of staying home.

Among their findings, they found that greater optimism promotes resilience and well-being when faced with stressors like the pandemic, while lower pessimism is linked to safer health behaviors. Their findings appeared in the Journal of Research in Personality.

Separating optimism and pessimism, the researchers found that only pessimism was associated with behaviors that reduce risk, but both optimism and pessimism were associated with psychological well-being. By investigating them in the context of new public health challenges, the team found that while the presence of optimism andthe absence of pessimism may both be resources for well-being, the absence of pessimism may be particularly important for health-relevant behaviors.

Ref: Jeewon Oh, Emily N. Tetreau, Mariah F. Purol, Eric S. Kim, William J. Chopik, Optimism and pessimism were prospectively associated with adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic, Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 113, 2024, 104541, ISSN 0092-6566, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2024.104541.