Optimism
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-28
CORE DEFINITION
Optimism is the attitude or mindset of expecting events to lead to particularly positive, favorable, desirable, and hopeful outcomes. A common idiom used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is a glass filled with water to the halfway point: an optimist is said to see the glass as half full, while a pessimist sees the glass as half empty. In ordinary English, optimism may be synonymous with idealism.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
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Optimism is the attitude or mindset of expecting events to lead to particularly positive, favorable, desirable, and hopeful outcomes. A common idiom used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is a glass filled with water to the halfway point: an optimist is said to see the glass as half full, while a pessimist sees the glass as half empty.
Anchor fast decisions
Seligman's 'explanatory style' theory: attributing bad events to temporary, specific, and external causes, and good events to permanent, universal, and internal causes, constitutes an optimistic explanatory style. The mechanism is that attribution style shapes emotions and persistence; optimists view setbacks as reversible and specific events, making them more resilient and action-oriented, associated with better physical and mental health and achievement.
MINIMUM ACTION
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimismverified
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