What do you think?
Rate this book
Optimism Bias: Why We're Wired to Look on the Bright Side
Book Description One of the most innovative neuroscientists at work today investigates the neural basis of our bias towards optimism. Product Description Psychologists have long been aware that most people tend to maintain an irrationally positive outlook on life. In fact, optimism may be crucial to our existence. Tali Sharot's original cognitive research demonstrates in surprising ways the biological basis for optimism. In this fascinating exploration, she takes an in-depth, clarifying look at how the brain generates hope and what happens when it fails; how the brains of optimists and pessimists differ; why we are terrible at predicting what will make us happy; how anticipation and dread affect us; and how our optimistic illusions affect our financial, professional, and emotional decisions. With its cutting-edge science and its wide-ranging and accessible narrative, The Optimism Bias provides us with startling new insight into how the workings of the brain create our hopes and dreams. About the Author Tali Sharot's research on optimism, memory and emotion has been featured in Time, New Scientist, The New York Times and more. She has a Ph.D. in psychology and neuroscience from New York University and is currently a research fellow at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
Tali Sharot
13 books184 followersTali Sharot is a Wellcome Trust fellow and principle investigator at the Cognitive Perceptual and Brain Science Division at University College London. Her research on the neuroscience of optimism, emotion, memory and decision making has been published in top scientific journals including Nature and Nature Neuroscience, and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Newsweek, the New Scientist, the BBC, and more. She has previously taught courses in psychology and neuroscience and conducted research at New York University (where she received her PhD), Harvard University, and the University of California. She is from Israel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
Shelved as 'read-in-2011'
December 14, 2019One of my favorite books of the year. I love books that connect neuroscience with behavior and social norms. Sharot writes convincingly, engagingly and integrates humor into the discussion of scientific concepts. A must-read for optimists, pessimists, and everyone in between. Also a good book if you are interested in understanding bias or the forces that shape our views.
November 6, 2011
Note: this review also appears on Amazon.
Interesting topic, somewhat flat treatment
The Optimism Bias is a not-to-deep look into why the human brain remains optimistic despite reams of experiential evidence suggesting it is unfounded. The author is clearly knowledgeable about the subject area, but I would have loved to read more hard science and less needlessly detailed personal narratives and anecdotal stories. Delving into how and why monkeys overcome cognitive dissonance after making a choice of, ostensibly, equal value, is fascinating. An analysis of Survivor, Lance Armstrong and the Lakers, less so.
Still, a quick, worthy read though I found myself skimming whole sections. At times it felt like an article from Modern Psychology blown up into book-length.
The implications for this avenue of science, and how we deal with reality as seen through optimism filters, are huge for individuals, for society and for the future -- this work doesn't do justice to that level of import. My hope is that this is just an initial foray into the topic and the author will follow up with less superficial treatment of a very deep topic.
Interesting topic, somewhat flat treatment
The Optimism Bias is a not-to-deep look into why the human brain remains optimistic despite reams of experiential evidence suggesting it is unfounded. The author is clearly knowledgeable about the subject area, but I would have loved to read more hard science and less needlessly detailed personal narratives and anecdotal stories. Delving into how and why monkeys overcome cognitive dissonance after making a choice of, ostensibly, equal value, is fascinating. An analysis of Survivor, Lance Armstrong and the Lakers, less so.
Still, a quick, worthy read though I found myself skimming whole sections. At times it felt like an article from Modern Psychology blown up into book-length.
The implications for this avenue of science, and how we deal with reality as seen through optimism filters, are huge for individuals, for society and for the future -- this work doesn't do justice to that level of import. My hope is that this is just an initial foray into the topic and the author will follow up with less superficial treatment of a very deep topic.
May 25, 2014
I am interested in the optimism bias because I teach psychology...I like to find new ways to present material to students. Many of the examples in the book are ones that I already use in class
The main premise of the book is the phenomenon that most people believe that they are better than average, when, in reality, it is impossible for most people to be so. I have found that most students in my classes believe that they will live longer than the average lifespan, that they will live
Tali Sharot also contends that a moderate degree of irrational optimism has been evolutionarily selected for because it has survival benefits. She believes that optimists tend to overlook the negative possibilities, while pessimists have a more realistic outlook ... However, because the optimist does tend to look at the world through rose colored glasses, they do tend to actually "do" better.
The main premise of the book is the phenomenon that most people believe that they are better than average, when, in reality, it is impossible for most people to be so. I have found that most students in my classes believe that they will live longer than the average lifespan, that they will live
Tali Sharot also contends that a moderate degree of irrational optimism has been evolutionarily selected for because it has survival benefits. She believes that optimists tend to overlook the negative possibilities, while pessimists have a more realistic outlook ... However, because the optimist does tend to look at the world through rose colored glasses, they do tend to actually "do" better.
November 4, 2017
An interesting book...we have always known that there is a wide chasm between reality and the reality we perceive . The author has set out to explain how when we have direct access to a lot of real facts we still tend to be biased in our beliefs and opinions, the hidden processes that lead us to these illusions which change according to our needs, while ‘enhancing the probability of survival ‘ .Yes it does explain how these deceptions can bring about unwanted outcomes too but that is at the end as a disclaimer.
The examples in the book are sometimes banal to the script , like there are some explained at a very general level using survey results and personal opinion presented as facts. One line explanations on Obama’s election , marriages, children and other individual life experiences are not very convincing. Though the view she has taken is to explain the result of positive and negative stimuli but for anyone to accept the prediction it has to be explained in more detail with a broader range of contributors.
The chapters explaining recollections , memories, decisions are very engaging and explain how we frame our mind to lead an optimal life.The final deduction is - positive expectations are a need for survival and the only other possible alternative is to be a pessimist who die younger!
The examples in the book are sometimes banal to the script , like there are some explained at a very general level using survey results and personal opinion presented as facts. One line explanations on Obama’s election , marriages, children and other individual life experiences are not very convincing. Though the view she has taken is to explain the result of positive and negative stimuli but for anyone to accept the prediction it has to be explained in more detail with a broader range of contributors.
The chapters explaining recollections , memories, decisions are very engaging and explain how we frame our mind to lead an optimal life.The final deduction is - positive expectations are a need for survival and the only other possible alternative is to be a pessimist who die younger!
May 3, 2011
A tendency that predates humanity--
Author Tali Sharot didn’t expect to stumble on something like the optimism bias while she was researching how traumatic events create “flashbulb memories”, which are unusually vivid memories that as it turns out are often not as accurate as they feel. Why would our brains construct intensely striking memories of harrowing events--like the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001--that are not completely true accounts of what happened?
While trying to answer that question Sharot conducted an experiment recording people’s brain activity as they remembered an event in the past and imagined one in the future, but the strange results she got sidetracked her. Every time people were asked to picture a future event, no matter how mundane, they came up with excessively rosy scenarios. People seemed to have a powerful and automatic tendency to imagine an unreasonably bright future. After switching her research focus to optimism Sharot concludes, and argues in this book, that optimism is so important to our survival that the inclination toward it is “hardwired” into our brains. Besides protecting us from stress and worry, optimism can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Though people with an overly pessimistic vision might just give up, people with a helpful level of optimism believe a sunny future is attainable and they’ll work for it. Optimists act in ways that make their rosy predictions more likely to happen.
Interestingly, it’s not just humans who are optimistic. Experiments conducted on many animals, including primates, suggest optimism is a very old evolutionary adaptation.
I don’t think of myself as an optimistic person so I wasn’t expecting to see much of myself in the book’s examples, but as I read I had to admit I am more influenced by this tendency than I would have guessed. At least I’m not alone. Even given facts and figures most people still underestimate the likelihood of experiencing negative events like becoming ill with disease, being the victim of a crime or going through a divorce. Way more than half of us think we are above average in friendliness, leadership qualities, or common sense, etc., and, of course, statistically many of us have to be wrong in those assumptions. The book is full of lots of examples of how we don’t perceive the world quite as accurately as we think we do, for instance most people are not good judges of what actually makes us happy. Also covered are why hard times often increase group optimism, why we value things more after we chose them (monkeys do this too), and how much dread and anticipation change our experiences of events. Especially illuminating for me was the chapter on the causes and treatment of depression.
Author Tali Sharot didn’t expect to stumble on something like the optimism bias while she was researching how traumatic events create “flashbulb memories”, which are unusually vivid memories that as it turns out are often not as accurate as they feel. Why would our brains construct intensely striking memories of harrowing events--like the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001--that are not completely true accounts of what happened?
While trying to answer that question Sharot conducted an experiment recording people’s brain activity as they remembered an event in the past and imagined one in the future, but the strange results she got sidetracked her. Every time people were asked to picture a future event, no matter how mundane, they came up with excessively rosy scenarios. People seemed to have a powerful and automatic tendency to imagine an unreasonably bright future. After switching her research focus to optimism Sharot concludes, and argues in this book, that optimism is so important to our survival that the inclination toward it is “hardwired” into our brains. Besides protecting us from stress and worry, optimism can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Though people with an overly pessimistic vision might just give up, people with a helpful level of optimism believe a sunny future is attainable and they’ll work for it. Optimists act in ways that make their rosy predictions more likely to happen.
Interestingly, it’s not just humans who are optimistic. Experiments conducted on many animals, including primates, suggest optimism is a very old evolutionary adaptation.
I don’t think of myself as an optimistic person so I wasn’t expecting to see much of myself in the book’s examples, but as I read I had to admit I am more influenced by this tendency than I would have guessed. At least I’m not alone. Even given facts and figures most people still underestimate the likelihood of experiencing negative events like becoming ill with disease, being the victim of a crime or going through a divorce. Way more than half of us think we are above average in friendliness, leadership qualities, or common sense, etc., and, of course, statistically many of us have to be wrong in those assumptions. The book is full of lots of examples of how we don’t perceive the world quite as accurately as we think we do, for instance most people are not good judges of what actually makes us happy. Also covered are why hard times often increase group optimism, why we value things more after we chose them (monkeys do this too), and how much dread and anticipation change our experiences of events. Especially illuminating for me was the chapter on the causes and treatment of depression.
May 6, 2016
The idea of a cognitive "optimism bias" is surely backed up by good evidence and Tali Sharot goes well in presenting both the evidence and how the optimism bias works.
However, it seems that the author falls victim of her own optimism bias, adopting statements such as "people who react to illness with passive acceptance of their own impending death, such as James, die prematurely", "optimists live longer" and "pessimists die younger". Such statements seem to be supported by research, but if you carefully read the research you will find that it only states statistical correlation of optimism and pessimism with health, which means that there may be other factors co-influencing both (read, for example, "The Longevity Project" book showing exactly that, based on a research that lasted for many decades on many, many people).
It's sad that many people try to interpret research findings according to their own optimism bias, including scientists and professors, which further support the "positive thinking" imperative and fight "pessimism" and negative thoughts and feelings. Sad and bad and dangerous.
So you may find some good information in this book, along with junk and the author's personal views on the subject, such as "The optimism bias is a crucial ingredient for keeping us happy". Well, it may come as a huge surprise to some (and to this author as well) that there are "pessimists" which are very satisfied with their lives and live a long and healthy life and "optimists" that suffer from panic attacks or die young from incurable diseases worsened by stress (although they are not aware of their own stress).
However, it seems that the author falls victim of her own optimism bias, adopting statements such as "people who react to illness with passive acceptance of their own impending death, such as James, die prematurely", "optimists live longer" and "pessimists die younger". Such statements seem to be supported by research, but if you carefully read the research you will find that it only states statistical correlation of optimism and pessimism with health, which means that there may be other factors co-influencing both (read, for example, "The Longevity Project" book showing exactly that, based on a research that lasted for many decades on many, many people).
It's sad that many people try to interpret research findings according to their own optimism bias, including scientists and professors, which further support the "positive thinking" imperative and fight "pessimism" and negative thoughts and feelings. Sad and bad and dangerous.
So you may find some good information in this book, along with junk and the author's personal views on the subject, such as "The optimism bias is a crucial ingredient for keeping us happy". Well, it may come as a huge surprise to some (and to this author as well) that there are "pessimists" which are very satisfied with their lives and live a long and healthy life and "optimists" that suffer from panic attacks or die young from incurable diseases worsened by stress (although they are not aware of their own stress).
June 4, 2013
A truly fascinating book to read for anyone who ever wanted to know about the brains functionality, it's sense of optimism and how it almost carries a survival mechanism to help us reach our goals. This is a cognitive neuro-scientific approach to Abraham Maslow's work on behaviour. I love the way Tali Sharot uses everyday examples to put her point across, I read a friends copy, just ended up reading the whole book and could not help myself wanting to highlight various parts for my own reference, I decided to place my order the very next day. The world health organisation predicts depression to be the second biggest killer by 2020, after reading this book I feel we may be able to change this prediction!
August 14, 2016
I gathered all this craziness after only reading about 20 pages (6% on my Kindle):
I stopped reading this book right away because the author seemed to get excessively political, incoherent, and use stories/examples that had nothing to do with the topic or title of the book. No, you are not the neuroscientist-equivalent of Jon Stewart, even though you say the rest of the world views Americans as being optimistic because of Barack Obama (pretty sure this has been the perception for a few centuries prior to his birth), reference Israeli political conflict, reference the Kennedys, or say some people think Margaret Thatcher and Boy George look alike. I get it already, you're a liberal. Wtf does that have to do with neuroscience? I seriously think this book was ghostwritten by Elizabeth Warren. As a libertarian I am done being force-fed this BS from both mainstream parties... And honestly I don't get what this slant has to do with neuroscience or an optimism bias. As much as the author regales of irrelevant "look-at-me" international travels, there was not much of a grip on this world and worldly views. And if the first story has nothing to do with optimism and is instead about spatial unawareness/vertigo, where is this ridiculous and wasteful book going? Pretty sure an experienced, decorated pilot does not fly risking hundreds of peoples' lives based on optimism. And where was this elusive data the author kept referring to? And in my opinion, the diagram of the shadowed tiles was not explained properly. I had to reread it again and again very slowly and it still did not make sense. No thanks. Glad I got it from the library instead of buying it. I'd rather go back to reading Oliver Sacks, who does not make the author more credible even if he is name-dropped and referenced right away. This is all after maybe 20 pages lol. And since the author loves bizarre, kitschy analogies here, the author reminded me of both Michael Moore or a liberal version of Donald Trump - incoherent and incredibly biased. I want to read Ayn Rand just to clean my mind, which seemed odd following a novel that was supposed to be about neuroscience.
It is disgusting to me because there are a multitude of real people, with psychological conditions and neurological and neuromuscular disorders, that need neuroscience to be taken seriously and to be an important and reputed topic. Yet for some reason in this field, some neuroscientists just want to be the Kim or Kanye, and talk about themselves and other nonsense rather than real-life neuroscience. Imma let you finish, but get a grip.
For the sake of being "optimistic", which should have been the topic discussed in the beginning of the book, because I am doing a review, goodreads manually lists this as "read" (even though I disgustedly removed it from my "now-reading" library), so I am one book closer to my year-end reading challenge!! Yay!!!!
I stopped reading this book right away because the author seemed to get excessively political, incoherent, and use stories/examples that had nothing to do with the topic or title of the book. No, you are not the neuroscientist-equivalent of Jon Stewart, even though you say the rest of the world views Americans as being optimistic because of Barack Obama (pretty sure this has been the perception for a few centuries prior to his birth), reference Israeli political conflict, reference the Kennedys, or say some people think Margaret Thatcher and Boy George look alike. I get it already, you're a liberal. Wtf does that have to do with neuroscience? I seriously think this book was ghostwritten by Elizabeth Warren. As a libertarian I am done being force-fed this BS from both mainstream parties... And honestly I don't get what this slant has to do with neuroscience or an optimism bias. As much as the author regales of irrelevant "look-at-me" international travels, there was not much of a grip on this world and worldly views. And if the first story has nothing to do with optimism and is instead about spatial unawareness/vertigo, where is this ridiculous and wasteful book going? Pretty sure an experienced, decorated pilot does not fly risking hundreds of peoples' lives based on optimism. And where was this elusive data the author kept referring to? And in my opinion, the diagram of the shadowed tiles was not explained properly. I had to reread it again and again very slowly and it still did not make sense. No thanks. Glad I got it from the library instead of buying it. I'd rather go back to reading Oliver Sacks, who does not make the author more credible even if he is name-dropped and referenced right away. This is all after maybe 20 pages lol. And since the author loves bizarre, kitschy analogies here, the author reminded me of both Michael Moore or a liberal version of Donald Trump - incoherent and incredibly biased. I want to read Ayn Rand just to clean my mind, which seemed odd following a novel that was supposed to be about neuroscience.
It is disgusting to me because there are a multitude of real people, with psychological conditions and neurological and neuromuscular disorders, that need neuroscience to be taken seriously and to be an important and reputed topic. Yet for some reason in this field, some neuroscientists just want to be the Kim or Kanye, and talk about themselves and other nonsense rather than real-life neuroscience. Imma let you finish, but get a grip.
For the sake of being "optimistic", which should have been the topic discussed in the beginning of the book, because I am doing a review, goodreads manually lists this as "read" (even though I disgustedly removed it from my "now-reading" library), so I am one book closer to my year-end reading challenge!! Yay!!!!
August 29, 2022
2nd read:
I think about this book all the damn time and finally found the time to give it another read. This book is so good and helps us understand human behavior so much more. Tali Sharot is one of the leading psychological researchers on our irrational optimistic outlook. Although depression and pessimism of the future are at all-time highs, people are also insanely optimistic. With all of the grifters on social media scamming people out of their money, it’s difficult to understand, but the optimism bias helps make some sense of it. Sharot explains why we’re so optimistic about our future based on decisions we haven’t even made yet as well as why we trust people or don’t have a healthy amount of fear or skepticism.
Everyone should definitely read this book to better understand themselves as well as others. I’ll probably read this one again in the next year or two.
1st read:
Optimism is a great characteristic, but sometimes it gets us into trouble. We over-estimate how happy something will make us like relationships or purchases, and we underestimate how much time a project will take us. As someone who is thankful for his skepticism and anxiety, I often wonder how people can put themselves in such bad situations due to their optimism. This book from Tali Sharot covers the pros and cons of the optimism bias from both a psychological and neuroscientific standpoint. The great part about this book is that it's written for everyone and doesn't get too heavy into jargon, so I highly recommend it for anyone who is looking to better balance their optimism with pessimism or have a better understanding why some people take on way too much risk.
My only critique was that there was a chapter in this book on how misleading our memory can be. I love the subject and have read many books on memory, but it just felt out of place as a stand-alone chapter. Sharot ends up tying it back into the subject matter of the book in the following chapter, but I feel the chapters could have been combined as one single chapter. But that's just a small criticism of an overall excellent book.
I think about this book all the damn time and finally found the time to give it another read. This book is so good and helps us understand human behavior so much more. Tali Sharot is one of the leading psychological researchers on our irrational optimistic outlook. Although depression and pessimism of the future are at all-time highs, people are also insanely optimistic. With all of the grifters on social media scamming people out of their money, it’s difficult to understand, but the optimism bias helps make some sense of it. Sharot explains why we’re so optimistic about our future based on decisions we haven’t even made yet as well as why we trust people or don’t have a healthy amount of fear or skepticism.
Everyone should definitely read this book to better understand themselves as well as others. I’ll probably read this one again in the next year or two.
1st read:
Optimism is a great characteristic, but sometimes it gets us into trouble. We over-estimate how happy something will make us like relationships or purchases, and we underestimate how much time a project will take us. As someone who is thankful for his skepticism and anxiety, I often wonder how people can put themselves in such bad situations due to their optimism. This book from Tali Sharot covers the pros and cons of the optimism bias from both a psychological and neuroscientific standpoint. The great part about this book is that it's written for everyone and doesn't get too heavy into jargon, so I highly recommend it for anyone who is looking to better balance their optimism with pessimism or have a better understanding why some people take on way too much risk.
My only critique was that there was a chapter in this book on how misleading our memory can be. I love the subject and have read many books on memory, but it just felt out of place as a stand-alone chapter. Sharot ends up tying it back into the subject matter of the book in the following chapter, but I feel the chapters could have been combined as one single chapter. But that's just a small criticism of an overall excellent book.
August 29, 2012
The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain by Tali Sharot
"The Optimism Bias" is the interesting book that investigates optimism bias. It explores when the bias is adaptive and when it is destructive, and it provides evidence that moderately optimistic illusions can promote well-being. It goes over the inner-workings of the brain that allows unrealistic optimism to alter our perceptions and actions. Neuroscientist Tali Sharot provides the reader with an engaging look at the optimism bias, though going off topic and other times stretching the subject matter a bit she generally succeeds in educating the public. This insightful 272-page book is composed of the following eleven chapters: 1. Which Way is Up? Illusions of the Human Brain, 2. Are Animals Stuck in Time? The Evolution of Prospection, 3. Is Optimism a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy? How the Mind Transforms Predictions into Reality, 4. What do Barack Obama and Shirley Temple Have in Common? When Private Optimism Mets Public Despair, 5. Can You Predict What Will Make You Happy? The Unexpected Ingredient for Well-being, 6. Crocuses Popping Up Through The Snow? When Things Go Wrong: Depression, Interpretation, and Genes, 7. Why Is Friday Better Than Sunday? The Value of Anticipation and the Cost of Dread, 8. Why Do Things Seem Better After WE Choose Them? The Mind's Journey from Expectation to Choice and Back, 9. Are Memories of 9/11 as Accurate as They Seem? How Emotions Change Our Past, 10. Why Is Being a Cancer Survivor Better Than Winning the Tour de France? How the Brain Turns Lead into Gold and 11. A Dark Side to Optimism?
Positives:
1. Well researched and well-referenced book about neuroscience that is accessible to the masses.
2. Engaging, conversational tone that makes the book a breeze to read.
3. The fascinating topic of neuroscience in the capable hands of Dr. Sharot.
4. The book's focus is on two main arguments: first, most of us are optimistic; and second that our brains have evolved to overpredict future happiness and success.
5. Optimism defined, it's hardwired into our brain. "The inclination to overestimate the likelihood of encountering positive events in the future and to underestimate the likelihood of experiencing negative events".
6. Countless examples and studies of varying degrees of interest from selecting what shoes to buy to 9/11.
7. How optimism relates to the brain. Interesting stuff.
8. Does a good job of describing what parts of the brain correspond with its function.
9. Fun pop psychology; many themes are bound to touch the reader.
10. Goes over many popular psychological terms: Thatcher illusion, superiority illusion, bias blind spot, introspection illusion, choice blindness, self-fulfilling prophecies, Pygmalion effect, theory of mind, cognitive dissonance, defensive pessimism, just to name a few.
11. Many practical examples. For example, why optimists are live longer than pessimists.
12. An interesting look at happiness and some eye-opening findings.
13. The difference between the pessimistic and optimistic explanatory styles.
14. The power of anticipation and dread. Great stuff.
15. The free choice paradigm was one of my favorite topics.
16. The subjective quality of memories. The function of memories.
17. Interesting and useful look at fear extinction.
18. How our desires influences our perceptions and behavior.
19. The author does a wonderful job of summarizing the main findings of the book in the epilogue.
20. Links to notes worked great.
Negatives:
1. A brief appendix on the brain and those areas pertinent to this book would have added value. A basic illustration of the brain covering the topics discussed in this book would have added value.
2. The book lacks scientific depth. The author doesn't discuss the future of neuroscience, its limitations its promise. What do we know with a high degree of certainty versus where we need more research on. Some of these topics could have been added in a separate technical appendix in order to keep the narrative at an accessible level.
3. I would have liked a more in-depth discussion on how evolution and optimism correlate.
4. The financial crisis of 2008 is much more cynical than what was presented in this book.
5. I think this book is too optimistic on how many people are truly optimistic.
6. The author goes off-topic from time to time.
7. More conviction is needed more ala Patricia Churchland who is wonderful in stating where the science is more speculative than higher degrees of certainty.
8. The book feels drawn out. It gets repetitious.
9. This book warranted a glossary.
In summary, I enjoy popular science books and in particular neuroscience and how it relates to psychology. Dr. Sharot provides many interesting examples and scientific studies that support her main arguments regarding optimism. Her writing style is conversational and engaging and makes for a fun read. This book provides many interesting and useful insights into everyday thinking. There are themes that will touch you more than others. Shortcomings aside, this is a fun and enlightening book. I recommend it.
Further suggestions: "Learned Optimism" by Martin E. Seligman, "The Happiness Hypothesis" by Jonathan Haidt, "Compass of Pleasure" by David J. Linden, "Are You Sure?" by Ginger Campbell, "Braintrust" by Patricia S. Churchland, "Subliminal" by Leonard Mlodinow, "Why People Believe Weird Things" and "The Believing Brain" by Michael Shermer, "The Blank Slate" by Steven Pinker, "Hardwired Behavior" by Laurence Tancredi, "Who's In Charge" Michael S. Gazzaniga, "The Belief Instinct" by Jesse Bering and "Mistakes Were Made" by Carol Tavris.
"The Optimism Bias" is the interesting book that investigates optimism bias. It explores when the bias is adaptive and when it is destructive, and it provides evidence that moderately optimistic illusions can promote well-being. It goes over the inner-workings of the brain that allows unrealistic optimism to alter our perceptions and actions. Neuroscientist Tali Sharot provides the reader with an engaging look at the optimism bias, though going off topic and other times stretching the subject matter a bit she generally succeeds in educating the public. This insightful 272-page book is composed of the following eleven chapters: 1. Which Way is Up? Illusions of the Human Brain, 2. Are Animals Stuck in Time? The Evolution of Prospection, 3. Is Optimism a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy? How the Mind Transforms Predictions into Reality, 4. What do Barack Obama and Shirley Temple Have in Common? When Private Optimism Mets Public Despair, 5. Can You Predict What Will Make You Happy? The Unexpected Ingredient for Well-being, 6. Crocuses Popping Up Through The Snow? When Things Go Wrong: Depression, Interpretation, and Genes, 7. Why Is Friday Better Than Sunday? The Value of Anticipation and the Cost of Dread, 8. Why Do Things Seem Better After WE Choose Them? The Mind's Journey from Expectation to Choice and Back, 9. Are Memories of 9/11 as Accurate as They Seem? How Emotions Change Our Past, 10. Why Is Being a Cancer Survivor Better Than Winning the Tour de France? How the Brain Turns Lead into Gold and 11. A Dark Side to Optimism?
Positives:
1. Well researched and well-referenced book about neuroscience that is accessible to the masses.
2. Engaging, conversational tone that makes the book a breeze to read.
3. The fascinating topic of neuroscience in the capable hands of Dr. Sharot.
4. The book's focus is on two main arguments: first, most of us are optimistic; and second that our brains have evolved to overpredict future happiness and success.
5. Optimism defined, it's hardwired into our brain. "The inclination to overestimate the likelihood of encountering positive events in the future and to underestimate the likelihood of experiencing negative events".
6. Countless examples and studies of varying degrees of interest from selecting what shoes to buy to 9/11.
7. How optimism relates to the brain. Interesting stuff.
8. Does a good job of describing what parts of the brain correspond with its function.
9. Fun pop psychology; many themes are bound to touch the reader.
10. Goes over many popular psychological terms: Thatcher illusion, superiority illusion, bias blind spot, introspection illusion, choice blindness, self-fulfilling prophecies, Pygmalion effect, theory of mind, cognitive dissonance, defensive pessimism, just to name a few.
11. Many practical examples. For example, why optimists are live longer than pessimists.
12. An interesting look at happiness and some eye-opening findings.
13. The difference between the pessimistic and optimistic explanatory styles.
14. The power of anticipation and dread. Great stuff.
15. The free choice paradigm was one of my favorite topics.
16. The subjective quality of memories. The function of memories.
17. Interesting and useful look at fear extinction.
18. How our desires influences our perceptions and behavior.
19. The author does a wonderful job of summarizing the main findings of the book in the epilogue.
20. Links to notes worked great.
Negatives:
1. A brief appendix on the brain and those areas pertinent to this book would have added value. A basic illustration of the brain covering the topics discussed in this book would have added value.
2. The book lacks scientific depth. The author doesn't discuss the future of neuroscience, its limitations its promise. What do we know with a high degree of certainty versus where we need more research on. Some of these topics could have been added in a separate technical appendix in order to keep the narrative at an accessible level.
3. I would have liked a more in-depth discussion on how evolution and optimism correlate.
4. The financial crisis of 2008 is much more cynical than what was presented in this book.
5. I think this book is too optimistic on how many people are truly optimistic.
6. The author goes off-topic from time to time.
7. More conviction is needed more ala Patricia Churchland who is wonderful in stating where the science is more speculative than higher degrees of certainty.
8. The book feels drawn out. It gets repetitious.
9. This book warranted a glossary.
In summary, I enjoy popular science books and in particular neuroscience and how it relates to psychology. Dr. Sharot provides many interesting examples and scientific studies that support her main arguments regarding optimism. Her writing style is conversational and engaging and makes for a fun read. This book provides many interesting and useful insights into everyday thinking. There are themes that will touch you more than others. Shortcomings aside, this is a fun and enlightening book. I recommend it.
Further suggestions: "Learned Optimism" by Martin E. Seligman, "The Happiness Hypothesis" by Jonathan Haidt, "Compass of Pleasure" by David J. Linden, "Are You Sure?" by Ginger Campbell, "Braintrust" by Patricia S. Churchland, "Subliminal" by Leonard Mlodinow, "Why People Believe Weird Things" and "The Believing Brain" by Michael Shermer, "The Blank Slate" by Steven Pinker, "Hardwired Behavior" by Laurence Tancredi, "Who's In Charge" Michael S. Gazzaniga, "The Belief Instinct" by Jesse Bering and "Mistakes Were Made" by Carol Tavris.
July 14, 2018
Η βασική ιδέα του βιβλίου είναι ότι αντιλαμβανόμαστε την πραγματικότητα πολύ διαφορετικά από τους άλλους, ιδαίτερα όταν....αφορά εμάς. Για παράδειγμα ποιος θα πει ότι είναι "κάτω του μετρίου οδηγός"; ή ΄ότι το παιδί του δεν είναι ιδιαίτερο"; όμως αυτό το βιβλίο μας βοηθάει να αντιληφθούμε ότι μερικά reality checks δεν είναι κακά, κυρίως είναι πολύ καλή ιδέα να "συγχρονίζουμε" τον εαυτό μας για να τον εξυπηρετήσουμε καλύτερα. Το μόνο μειονέκτημα του βιβλίου είναι ότι έχει υπερβολικά πολλά συμπεράσματα από την νευρολογική επιστήμη, προκειμένου να στηριχθούν βέβαια οι απόψεις του, αλλά γι αυτόν που δεν ενδιαφέρεται γι αυτό το κομμάτι, είναι λίγο κουραστικό. Συστήνεται πάντως για το θέμα, πολύ καλές ιδέες.
January 13, 2020
very interesting and thought provoking but not my Favorite.
October 25, 2019
This book focus on understand how the person shape his / her view. These optimism bias makes us overestimate the likelihood of positive events and underestimate the likelihood of negative ones.
I think we have to strengthen our positive brain.
I think we have to strengthen our positive brain.
March 8, 2012
*The rationale for the brain's irrationality*
If you're feeling pessimistic about the point of optimism, this book will likely soften your doubt. (And, I don't feel I'm being overly optimistic with that hope.)
This fascinating book explores the optimism bias--the tendency to overestimate the probability of positive events and underestimate the probability of negative ones. Without such a biologically built-in optimism bias, it would be difficult to generate hope and become motivated to do the things we need to do to make us be happy. As the author notes:
"The optimism bias is a crucial ingredient for keeping us happy. When people perceive the future accurately, when they are well aware that none of the things people assume will make them happy is likely to have any lasting significance on their well-being, when they take off their rose-tinted glasses and see things more clearly, they become depressed--clinically depressed." (p. 90)
The benefits of optimism are undeniable: longer life, greater health, increased happiness, better financial planning, and more success. It's no wonder that most of us are hard-wired to be optimistically biased (although we are typically not aware of these biases, and they are not easily accessible for introspection).
Far from just painting a rosy hue onto life, the optimism bias has a biological basis that has contributed to our survival. Our brains have actually evolved to over-predict for our future happiness and success because these biases are what actually makes health and success more likely. (Evolution is one smart cookie!) Although our brains do irrationally distort reality, they've got good reason to do so: the optimism bias helps to alter our subjective realities which allows us to perceive setbacks as opportunities, resulting in carrying out with actions that make our positive predictions more likely. It's kind of like an optimistic snowball effect that our brains trick us into participating. (Talk about out-smarting ourselves.)
I highly recommend this tour of the irrationally positive brain, and am (rationally) optimistic that you too will find this book to be extremely entertaining, enlightening, and exciting.
If you're feeling pessimistic about the point of optimism, this book will likely soften your doubt. (And, I don't feel I'm being overly optimistic with that hope.)
This fascinating book explores the optimism bias--the tendency to overestimate the probability of positive events and underestimate the probability of negative ones. Without such a biologically built-in optimism bias, it would be difficult to generate hope and become motivated to do the things we need to do to make us be happy. As the author notes:
"The optimism bias is a crucial ingredient for keeping us happy. When people perceive the future accurately, when they are well aware that none of the things people assume will make them happy is likely to have any lasting significance on their well-being, when they take off their rose-tinted glasses and see things more clearly, they become depressed--clinically depressed." (p. 90)
The benefits of optimism are undeniable: longer life, greater health, increased happiness, better financial planning, and more success. It's no wonder that most of us are hard-wired to be optimistically biased (although we are typically not aware of these biases, and they are not easily accessible for introspection).
Far from just painting a rosy hue onto life, the optimism bias has a biological basis that has contributed to our survival. Our brains have actually evolved to over-predict for our future happiness and success because these biases are what actually makes health and success more likely. (Evolution is one smart cookie!) Although our brains do irrationally distort reality, they've got good reason to do so: the optimism bias helps to alter our subjective realities which allows us to perceive setbacks as opportunities, resulting in carrying out with actions that make our positive predictions more likely. It's kind of like an optimistic snowball effect that our brains trick us into participating. (Talk about out-smarting ourselves.)
I highly recommend this tour of the irrationally positive brain, and am (rationally) optimistic that you too will find this book to be extremely entertaining, enlightening, and exciting.
July 4, 2012
This book caught my eye at the local library during a time when I had been reading some dark books and I was looking for a lift. I'm not quite sure what I expected, but this is actually quite a scholarly book, with lots of references in the bibliography, although the writing is clear and not overwhelming in technical details.
The book reviews experiments (many of this conducted by the author) conducted to understand why/how people are optimistic even in the presence of evidence against it. It would have been helpful to have had a least 1 diagram of the various neural landmarks discussed as many of the experiments were designed to observe changes in physiology.
One potential limitation was the lack of discussion of limitations of the research presented. For example, one reason that pessimists may have poorer health outcomes is that they have knowledge of habits associated with poorer outcome and are not simply anticipating a bad outcome.
These are minor criticisms. The vignettes about people who had experienced terrible losses eventually regain their optimism and use it to see the positive aspects of their life and move on.
The book reviews experiments (many of this conducted by the author) conducted to understand why/how people are optimistic even in the presence of evidence against it. It would have been helpful to have had a least 1 diagram of the various neural landmarks discussed as many of the experiments were designed to observe changes in physiology.
One potential limitation was the lack of discussion of limitations of the research presented. For example, one reason that pessimists may have poorer health outcomes is that they have knowledge of habits associated with poorer outcome and are not simply anticipating a bad outcome.
These are minor criticisms. The vignettes about people who had experienced terrible losses eventually regain their optimism and use it to see the positive aspects of their life and move on.
June 14, 2013
The Optimism Bias isn't a bad book, it goes over how people's average expectations are better than that of what society as a whole will go through.
Optimism is pointed out to be a useful bias. People undertake tougher tasks and state that the tasks are less arduous when they will be because of optimism.
The book goes over how when we choose freely between two items that we have previously valued equally the one we choose we then value more highly.
It's also pointed out that pessimists are better at assessing outcomes than normal optimistic people.
The book concludes by stating that mild optimism is desirable but that being overly optimistic is damaging, leading to credit crunches and many other problems.
Optimism is pointed out to be a useful bias. People undertake tougher tasks and state that the tasks are less arduous when they will be because of optimism.
The book goes over how when we choose freely between two items that we have previously valued equally the one we choose we then value more highly.
It's also pointed out that pessimists are better at assessing outcomes than normal optimistic people.
The book concludes by stating that mild optimism is desirable but that being overly optimistic is damaging, leading to credit crunches and many other problems.
November 24, 2011
I thought this book would be about why optimists live longer but it was actually about how humans tend to see upcoming events through rose colored lenses, and have difficulty accurately predicting future outcomes. Mildly depressed people actually have more realistic future-predictor ability! We are terrible predictors of what will actually make us happy. She talks about how anticipation for events is sometimes more fun than events themselves, etc. – how our brains are wired to reinforce unconscious beliefs. It lagged at some points but overall a good and interesting read. Not too technical – a non-scientist can follow along.
April 22, 2014
The author covered a wide array of topics and research that demonstrated various facets of optimism. I found it fascinating that I did not fit the mold of most of her subject matter. That is not to say that I am a pessimist but that I have a very different value system altogether.
This point has encouraged me to seek out literature that explains how I can not be optimistic and yet maintain a high level of self-esteem and happiness. I suspect this is because unlike the polarized optimism and pessimism buckets, I am a realist.
This point has encouraged me to seek out literature that explains how I can not be optimistic and yet maintain a high level of self-esteem and happiness. I suspect this is because unlike the polarized optimism and pessimism buckets, I am a realist.
April 26, 2016
If you enjoy learning about cognitive psychology, this book will give you a great insight. The cases and experiments are very interesting, and I learned a lot about the neurological part that explains all that is going on in our mind. It also reminded of the psychology classes in uni, which were the ones I loved the most, so it made me smile a lot.
January 3, 2018
I would personally recommend this book to someone who wants to start reading science book. The author knows well how to tell stories while enhancing the reader’s understanding about neuroscience and psychology. Very enjoyable book afterall.
August 23, 2011
A book of research findings on why we are wired to be optimistic.
February 27, 2012
Interesting book; the conclusions make sense to me.
June 12, 2018
Why 1* ?
First i have to say i am a really big pessimist, and i think of optimists as reality deniers. So i started this book with the idea to understand optimism better. I was let down , mostly because some of the things the author prescribes to optimism is different from optimism.
Here is an example
*this is not a quote from the book, its how i understood the chapter
My problem is this that on few occasions the Optimism can be described as Survival Instinct, does that make every human alive who isnt suicidal optimist ?
Also there is this chapter which can be summarized with this br**nd**d quote " What doesnt kill you makes you stronger" ... i cant put in words how much i hate this quote. If the book wasnt on my phone i would have burned it or throw it.
As a plus side a lot of the scientific pages are quoted...and thats it. Sadly i dont think they are used to the fullest because the experiments are quoted in a really short summary which leads to "plot holes" in the said experiments.
First i have to say i am a really big pessimist, and i think of optimists as reality deniers. So i started this book with the idea to understand optimism better. I was let down , mostly because some of the things the author prescribes to optimism is different from optimism.
Here is an example
*this is not a quote from the book, its how i understood the chapter
My problem is this that on few occasions the Optimism can be described as Survival Instinct, does that make every human alive who isnt suicidal optimist ?
Also there is this chapter which can be summarized with this br**nd**d quote " What doesnt kill you makes you stronger" ... i cant put in words how much i hate this quote. If the book wasnt on my phone i would have burned it or throw it.
As a plus side a lot of the scientific pages are quoted...and thats it. Sadly i dont think they are used to the fullest because the experiments are quoted in a really short summary which leads to "plot holes" in the said experiments.
February 5, 2023
A little bit older on the brain science side; here fMRI are new tech to allow a look inside the brain. This is an area that is rapidly changing.
So it seems optimism is a defence mechanism; our brain confirms choices we made rather than let us second guess ourselves into lunacy, it protects us from awful memories, and if and when the awful stuff actually happens the brain pivots into the real philosopher’s stone and turns that lead into gold. ‘That will never happen again’ it shouts like a happy Garp in our head. ‘Things can only get better.’
It actually changes our perception of reality according to whether we chose a task or were assigned to do it by another. [huh, does this explain why homework causes such pain? A task we did not choose to do?]
Just fascinating.
4 stars
So far this year, my library saved me A$639.98
So it seems optimism is a defence mechanism; our brain confirms choices we made rather than let us second guess ourselves into lunacy, it protects us from awful memories, and if and when the awful stuff actually happens the brain pivots into the real philosopher’s stone and turns that lead into gold. ‘That will never happen again’ it shouts like a happy Garp in our head. ‘Things can only get better.’
It actually changes our perception of reality according to whether we chose a task or were assigned to do it by another. [huh, does this explain why homework causes such pain? A task we did not choose to do?]
Just fascinating.
4 stars
So far this year, my library saved me A$639.98
September 8, 2018
85% = 5 Stars
Tali Sharot dares to explore positive thinking, optimism, and the fun things in between. I really loved this book and I didn't think that I would like it at all. Go figure that. I learned new things, felt wonder about my own mind and body, decided to not be a pessimist, and all sorts of other nice happenings thanks to this book. The examples were great as well. I'm glad that I read it.
**SPOILERS**
Some topics covered
- Optimism Bias
- Superiority Bias
- The depressed mind
- Depressive realism
- How the brain reacts to particular stimuli
- Making choices, and why we stick with particular ones
- Anticipation: the good, the bad and the ugly
- The consequences of optimism
- Moderation is best and why
Tali Sharot dares to explore positive thinking, optimism, and the fun things in between. I really loved this book and I didn't think that I would like it at all. Go figure that. I learned new things, felt wonder about my own mind and body, decided to not be a pessimist, and all sorts of other nice happenings thanks to this book. The examples were great as well. I'm glad that I read it.
**SPOILERS**
Some topics covered
- Optimism Bias
- Superiority Bias
- The depressed mind
- Depressive realism
- How the brain reacts to particular stimuli
- Making choices, and why we stick with particular ones
- Anticipation: the good, the bad and the ugly
- The consequences of optimism
- Moderation is best and why
January 22, 2019
As a cheerful realist, I found this book's conclusions, fortunately, all grounded in fact. I am thankful that none of it had any nonsense sprinkled into it even as comic relief, even though I found it rather short. It's true that blind optimism can whitewash and hide away all extant problems...
I think these chapters are truly worth pondering. Things such as: "Why is Being a Cancer Survivor Better Than Winning the Tour de France?" That section is worthwhile.
My dislike over its brevity was ameliorated by her clear reference to the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and what happened there.
So what makes us so irrationally fixated on the bright side of life? Please pick up Tali Sharot's The Optimism Bias to find out!
I think these chapters are truly worth pondering. Things such as: "Why is Being a Cancer Survivor Better Than Winning the Tour de France?" That section is worthwhile.
My dislike over its brevity was ameliorated by her clear reference to the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and what happened there.
So what makes us so irrationally fixated on the bright side of life? Please pick up Tali Sharot's The Optimism Bias to find out!
February 26, 2019
The topic of the "Optimism Bias" has come up often in our modern world, so this book had promise of delving into this subject. Mainly, I enjoyed the science discussions in the book about the brain and neuroscience related to the "Optimism Bias." I felt some of the experiments discussed covered the same topics, just in different ways, so it did get a bit repetitive. There was enough difference in the material to please any reader (i.e. some neuroscience-type lessons, some qualitative experiments, some history as it relates to psychology etc.), but as a whole it wasn't a deep page-turner. For a popular science non-fiction read on a dense topic, it does a great job explaining this theory to the general population.
May 22, 2021
"The optimism bias is a crucial ingredient for keeping us happy. When people perceive the future accurately, when they are well aware that none of the things people assume will make them happy is likely to have any lasting significance on their well-being, when they take off their rose-tinted glasses and see things more clearly, they become depressed—clinically depressed."
An unfortunate combination of corny writing and sweeping generalizations like that above. While I don't disagree that moderate optimism is healthy, this book ultimately fails to substantiate its message with any actual science. I'm not entirely sure what audience this was written for; it's more of a compilation of anecdotes vaguely related to optimism.
January 17, 2023
- Human evolution gives human many short-cut ways to survive without overly thinking (for instance, fluid in our inner ears interact with very fine hair in the fluid sac to position ourselves knowing if we're upside down or not). However, often such system isn't up-to-date with the changing world, resulting in illusion when things change quickly (for instance, flying at dark, pilot can often make dangerous turns because human navigation system isn't suitable for flying, since our ancestors don't fly)
- Thinking too much can lead to suboptimal judgements
- We always tend to think we're fairly realistic, whereas in reality we're often far away from it. Thus, finding ways to avoid our blind-spots is essential
- Thinking too much can lead to suboptimal judgements
- We always tend to think we're fairly realistic, whereas in reality we're often far away from it. Thus, finding ways to avoid our blind-spots is essential
September 11, 2021
Starts really strong. Great information and great writing all the way through. My only hang up is that more and more I found myself asking “What does this have to do with the topic? How does this relate?” And even once explained, at the end of the chapter often in a single paragraph, I still didn’t get it. The connection felt tenuous and was difficult to grasp. For this reason I really recommend a In One Sitting reading, rather than a couple chapters a week as I did. A more continuous commitment might have made it more understandable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews