Last update:
21-Apr-2024

Optimism, as a personality characteristic, refers to a person's adaptive function of maintaining a positive expectation even when facing adversity. It is connected with brain function and, specifically, with the anterior cingulate lop and the inferior frontal gyrus that trigger the system associated with visual observation and event translation. Correlation and interaction with social characteristics, individual factors, the cultural environment and the family, have been found. Younger ages and higher education are associated with greater levels of optimism. In addition, people with an inclination to environmental conservation and structure of environmentally-friendly behaviors and attitudes are related to higher levels of optimism, as they possess positive affectivity and expectation. In addition, the family institution promotes optimism of its members on the condition that it ensures not only their protection, but also their emotional stability and trust, while it has been argued that genetic factors might also be related to the optimistic attitude in life. Optimistic individuals show improvement in physical health and there is considerable evidence that this can be enhanced through educational or other supportive interventions. In addition, it has been observed that an optimistic life attitude promotes habits such as physical exercise that contribute to increasing functional performance and improving physical and mental health. It can be measured using appropriate questionnaires such as the "Life Orientation Test-Revised", whereas the measurement of cortisol levels has also been used with good results.

Key words: Cortisol, Health, Optimism, Quality of life.