“One reason may be stress, because we know from experiments that stress reduces optimism bias. “Optimism bias reaches rock bottom in mid-life,” says Sharot. “It's unclear if it's because more pessimistic people decide to become lawyers, or whether being trained to look for the worst-case scenario reduces optimism,” says Sharot.Īge has perhaps the most striking influence. Another 10% have pessimism bias, with lawyers often found among this group.
Only 10% of people are considered bias-free – yet one in two people with optimism bias believe themselves to be bias-free. But the tests prove they actually have optimism bias.” “In cultures such as France, and to some degree the UK, they are more likely to say they are a realist, or even a pessimist. In cultures in which optimism is considered a good thing, such as the US and Australia, people are more likely to self-identify as optimists, explains Sharot. Optimism bias occurs with equal prevalence across the global population, but culture plays a role by influencing how optimistic or pessimistic people consider themselves. “They may also believe they are healthier than the average person, or have genes that make them more resistant.” “People with optimism bias think, ‘I'll do the right thing by taking precautions, and therefore I'm less likely to get Covid-19 than others’,” explains Sharot, who has written multiple books on optimism. It could also mean failing to take out insurance, or not wearing a helmet while cycling – or maybe even catching Covid-19 through complacency. A common example is planners underestimating budgets and timeframes. Bad things tend to be given less credence, and some people ignore them altogether.Īn overabundance of optimism, however, can lead to an inadequate assessment of potential hazards. We simply “learn better” from good things happening around us, which perpetuates the bias. Despite unexpected negative events happening to us – or seeing them on the news – it is the positive events that tend to leave the biggest impression on our belief systems. What is most surprising about this bias, says Tali Sharot, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London, is that it is “resistant in the face of reality”. It also stops us from worrying over uncertainties, such as the future. Laslett credits optimism bias as the trait that allows us to try new, potentially difficult things, because it provides us with a certain amount of confidence that doing so will go well. “Without, the human species would not have progressed,” says Shelley Laslett, CEO of Sydney-based Vitae.Coach, which uses neuroscience and technology as a business-coaching tool. Understanding where you sit on the optimism spectrum can help you adjust for your bias – and maybe even make better choices.Īt the root of optimism bias are two assumptions: first, that we possess more positive traits than the average person second, that we have some kind of control over the world around us. That’s good, because a surfeit of optimism can lead to underestimating risk.
Levels of optimism bias vary according to our mental state and current circumstances, and there are ways to temper or increase it. Thinking positively is an evolutionary hallmark, because it facilitates envisioning what is possible, allowing us to be courageous and innovative. This is known as ‘optimism bias’, something that 80% of the global population possess to some degree.
She tends to overestimate the likelihood of positive events happening to her, and subsequently underestimate potentially negative ones. The kids are older, and I feel that my time is going to be a bit more freed up.”īy her own admission, Vangeli looks on the bright side of life. Right now, I’m honestly pretty excited about the future and where my business is going. “I saw the pandemic as a new chapter in my life,” she says. She stayed productive during the long months of lockdown by writing a book, taking courses and rejigging her pastry business to include an online component. To make ends meet, the single mother of four in Melbourne, Australia, has been volunteering at a food bank in exchange for food parcels, and also selling second-hand furniture. Last year, Covid-19 wiped out the 52-year-old’s livelihood as a pastry chef. As a child, she was bullied as an adult, she faced abuse, along with the breakdown of two marriages and recurring health problems – including being hit by a truck in 2016.
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