A study by Japanese researchers at Kobe University shows that optimistic people share a common pattern of brain activity when they imagine their future. Optimism no longer appears as an attitude, but as a coherent cognitive strategy, with important implications for mental health and quality of relationships.
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“Optimists seem to use a common neuronal framework for organizing thoughts about the future, which probably reflects a similar style of mental processing, rather than identical ideas.” said Kuniaki Yanagisawa, the main research author at Kobe University in Japan, quoted by The Guardian.
He said the results could explain previous discoveries that showed that optimists tend to be more socially successful. “What the study tells us is that the foundation of their social success could be this common reality.”he added. “It is not just a positive attitude; but about the fact that their brains are literally on the same wavelength, which could allow them a deeper, more intuitive connection.”
Optimism has a neurological fingerprint
In the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers claimed that they asked 87 participants to complete a questionnaire to determine how optimistic they are.
Each participant was subjected to an MRI brain scan, during which he was asked to imagine various possible events, some positive, such as an “unforgettable journey around the world”, and others neutral or negative, for example, imagine that he will be fired. The team of researchers discovered that more optimistic participants had several similarities in brain activity patterns in a region involved in future-oriented thinking, called medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC).
What happens in the mind of a man hoping
In fact, scientists at Kobe University compared the results with the famous opening in the novel Anna Karenina: “All happy families resemble each other. Every unfortunate family is unhappy in its own way.”. Also, they say, they think the optimists, while the less optimistic people imagine their future – each – in its own way.
Cerebral scans have shown that optimists not only anticipate the future in a similar way, but also clearly distinguish between positive and negative scenarios, which could increase their emotional resilience. “They do not have the same thoughts, but their brains process the future in a similar structural way”, Kuniaki Yanagisawa believes.
Lisa Bortolotti, a psychologist, emphasizes that optimism does not distort reality, but reduces the emotional impact of negative scenarios and strengthens the motivation to act. “To imagine a positive result as possible and desirable makes you fight for him”, she says.
Hope Psychology: How to rebuild the future in therapy
“For me, as a psychologist, perhaps the most valuable part of this study is the clear demonstration that optimism is an effective cognitive strategy. In other words, positive thinking should not be viewed as a comfortable illusion, but as a training mental competence. It is precisely this dimension in psychotherapeutic interventions,” declared, for “Adevărul” Ioana Sabina Bota, a clinical psychologist.
According to him, in many types of therapy, from the treatment of anxiety and depression, to the prevention of the burnout, one of the central tasks is to rebuild the individual’s relationship with the future.
“Many people reach therapy stuck in thoughts, lack of meaning or catastrophic forecasts. In this context, the fact that optimism has a coherent neural organization becomes a strong argument in favor of techniques such as imaginative exposure or narrative methods. When we work with customers who fail to imagine a favorable future, we can not To play the meaning and motivation in complex life contexts ”, she explained.
This approach does not mean eliminating negative emotions or denial of failures, but changing the lens by which they are regarded, stresses the specialist. “In positive psychology, Martin Seligman’s perspective is one of the best known: optimism is not only a positive attitude, but the way we explain our negative events. An optimistic person will interpret the difficulties as temporary, specific and external, not as permanent, global and personal traits. Thus, an examination is not seen as a result, as a result, I learned enough, not because I would be incapable. the psychologist continues
In his opinion, precisely this conviction, that you have control over the situation, is the foundation of a realistic and functional optimism. “The optimistic people do not deny the difficulties, but they do not leave overwhelmed by them. Instead, they interpret them in a way that retains their motivation and direction. This constructive interpretation of failures has a direct impact on mental health, resilience and quality of human relations.”adds Ioana Sabina Bota.
Optimism can be cultivated. And matters more than you think
From the point of view of personal development, optimism is considered a personality trait influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. “Interesting is the fact that, unlike other features, the hereditary component of optimism is considered relatively small, which means it can be learned and cultivated more easily than other genetically transmitted features. This opens a considerable space for educational and therapeutic intervention.”completes the psychologist.
At the social level, the implications are just as important. “The study by Japanese researchers suggests that optimistic people” work on the same frequency “, and this aspect explains why some people establish authentic relationships more easily. Not only does it imagine its future, but I do it in a similar, empathetic and predictable way. For teenagers or people in emotional isolation, this type of cognitive reconfiguration can open the door to belonging and trust. The mental exercises by which customers are encouraged to imagine a coherent future, in which they are surrounded by support and opportunities, can become not only therapeutic techniques, but also tools of social reintegration ”.add it.
In conclusion, optimism is not a luxury or privilege of the lucky ones. “It is a form of mental hygiene, a brain training that helps us to cope with the challenges without losing direction or hope. Today we have not only clinical and observational evidence, but also neurological support for the idea that optimism can be cultivated, practiced and integrated as a resource of life, with individual benefits, relational and collective“concludes Ioana Sabina Bota.
