the.com/optimism
the stubborn bet that tomorrow shows up better, even when today files for bankruptcy.
means A hopeful disposition that expects good outcomes and sees the favorable side of things, even in adversity.
from From Latin 'optimus,' meaning 'best.' The term was coined in the early 18th century by French Jesuits writing in their journal to describe the philosopher Leibniz's doctrine that ours is 'the best of all possible worlds.' Voltaire later skewered that very idea in 'Candide,' so optimism arrived in the world already half-mocked — and somehow kept smiling anyway.
- brain default
- humans systematically underestimate their own future risks
- lives longer
- optimists studied with measurably higher odds of reaching 85
- named by
- Voltaire mocked it in Candide, accidentally immortalizing it
- physical perk
- linked to healthier hearts and stronger immune response
- survival tool
- evolved to keep us trying after repeated failure
hans rosling — swedish physician who showed global health metrics improving across 200+ countries from 1960-2020
our world in data — oxford project documenting 300+ datasets proving life expectancy, literacy, and poverty declining since 1800s