optimism
Sign in to savethumb|right|Is the glass half empty or half full?|Half a glass of water, illustration of two different mental attitudes, optimism (half full) and [[pessimism (half empty)]]
AI overview
Optimism is the tendency to expect positive outcomes and to see situations in a favorable light, often illustrated by viewing a glass as "half full" rather than "half empty." It matters because how optimistic or pessimistic people are can shape their attitudes, decisions, and overall outlook on life.
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Article
15 sectionsContents
- Psychological optimism
- Dispositional optimism
- Explanatory style
- Origins
- Assessment
- Life Orientation Test
- Attributional Style Questionnaire
- Associations with health
- Optimism and well-being
- Translating association into modifiability
- Philosophical optimism
- Optimalism
- See also
- References
- Further reading
thumb|right|Is the glass half empty or half full?|Half a glass of water, illustration of two different mental attitudes, optimism (half full) and [[pessimism (half empty)]]
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—often, unrealistic or foolish optimism in particular.